


Straight Up And Down

by seoulstation



Series: Made In The A.M. [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bartender Junhui, Basically a whole mess, Bookstore owner Wonwoo, CEO Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, CEO Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Counsel Jihoon, Counsel Mingyu, Drama & Romance, F/M, Family Drama, Fashion Designer Minghao, Florist Seungkwan, Florist Yoon Jeonghan, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Protective Siblings, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:54:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 170,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28850169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seoulstation/pseuds/seoulstation
Summary: Not only do Jihyun and Jihoon share almost identical names, they also share scarily similar personalities and alas, the same luck in love. Seungcheol and Jeonghan join them on their stumbling journey towards a happy ending, and new relationships blossom along the way.
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Original Character(s), Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Original Female Character(s), Lee Chan | Dino/Original Character(s), Lee Chan | Dino/Original Female Character(s), Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Original Female Character(s), Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Xu Ming Hao | The8/Yoon Jeonghan
Series: Made In The A.M. [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190192
Comments: 12
Kudos: 10





	1. Prologue

The skies were blue, the sun shining brightly as the casket was lowered into the ground.

Wasn’t it supposed to be raining, or at least a tad cloudy, whenever there was a funeral? She still remembered how the rain poured at her mother’s funeral, exactly one year ago on this day. How her hand holding the umbrella shivered from the cold, how the umbrella did little to keep her dry from the unending splatters of rain, how her heart had felt so, so numb, how her father had knelt at the grave and refused to get up, even though it was still raining. How she had not taken advantage of the raindrops sliding down her face to cry, but had waited until she was home alone, her father still kneeling at her mother’s grave, for the tears to fall from her eyes, for the heart-wrenching sobs to rack through her entire body.

Her father had never been the same after that day. It seemed fitting, ironically, that he’d chosen to go on the same date as her mother. As her heart ached with the loss of her last surviving family member, she told herself that at least he didn’t have to suffer anymore. At least he didn’t have to keep washing his handkerchiefs due to them being splattered with dark red blood every time he coughed, which was almost every hour. He didn’t have to take pills three times a day that she couldn’t count with all ten fingers. And he would be reunited with her mother, the love of his life, keeping his promise of never leaving her alone. 

She looked up at the skies, where white fluffy clouds floated around lazily. It’s a sign to be happy, she told herself. But she was having a hard time believing it.

After the grave had been covered, the little people who’d attended patted her shoulders and whispered comforting words in her ear. She could feel herself nodding and thanking them, but it was out of reflex. She couldn’t bear to look them in the eyes, to see the looks of sympathy etched on their faces. 

Because who wouldn’t be sympathetic, when a 10-year-old had just been orphaned?

Even after everyone had left, she didn’t. She knelt down beside the grave, and looked at the tombstone of her father and her mother’s right beside it. 

She tried to find words, to tell them that she was afraid, that she didn’t know what to do, but she couldn’t, her throat closed up , signalling impending tears that she’d held back earlier. The realisation hit her in the gut: that she was truly alone, with no one else in the world to lean on, that she would have to learn how to survive on her own-

“I am sorry for your loss.”

She didn’t have to turn around to know who the visitor was; she’d talked to the owner of the voice so many times in the past few years. But she didn’t get up to greet him; her head was light, she couldn’t breathe-

A hand grabbed her shoulder, firmly, but it was with care. “Listen to my voice,” he commanded. “Breathe. In. Out. In. Out. I’m here. I’m here,” he repeated.

As he continued directing her to breathe, she slowly calmed down, tears streaming down her face. 

She’d really lost her entire world.

The man didn’t remove his hand from her shoulder as he carefully sat down beside her. For a while, they just sat there, and from afar it would have looked like a beautiful scene; a broken soul seeking comfort, and a kind soul offering it.

When she could find her voice, she spoke. “Thank you for coming.” Her voice was hoarse, but she could speak, and she’d take it.

“He was a good man,” he replied simply.

“I-I know that we still haven’t paid back my mother’s medical bills,” she whispered. “And also my father’s.”

The doctor looked down at her, his eyes filled with patience. “That is true.” He knew it would do the girl no good to deny it, to tell her it was fine. Her maturity was astounding, as he’d realised from the times where she’d followed her parents to the hospital when her mother had been sick, and later when it was only her and her father. But he supposed it was unavoidable; she had no choice but to grow up sooner than needed.

A few weeks ago, when her father had fallen unconscious and had been rushed to the hospital, the girl had been there by his side, refusing to leave unless she had to. When the doctor had came to check on him, her father had asked her to bring him some juice from the hospital cafeteria, and she’d quickly run off after the doctor assured her that he’d look over her father while she was gone.

After the girl left, the doctor had looked at the man lying on the bed quizzically. “Why did you send her away?” Both of them had established a rapport over the years, and the doctor knew that the man had wanted to talk to him in private.

“I haven’t finished paying you back for Miya’s medical bills,” the man had said. It wasn’t a question, and so the doctor merely nodded. “And now mine as well,” the man had sighed. “I can feel it. Death,” he said, answering the unspoken question. “I see Miya in my dreams, telling me to take care of Jihyun, telling me that she’ll see me soon...”

Being a man of science, the doctor wanted to tell him that unfortunately, it was indeed true that all signs pointed to him having two more months left, at most. But he was a man with an open mind, and was truly curious as to whether it was true that people could feel death closing in on them. However, there was a time and place for questions like that, and this wasn’t it. “I am sorry,” was all he could say.

“I do not want to leave Jihyun alone.” The man sighed, his sorrow clear and obvious. “Not a day goes by that I don’t curse myself for getting sick. Now she has to pay for it, by being an orphan at such a young age, saddled with debts that she had no fault in incurring.”

“It is never easy to lose a parent or both parents, regardless of the age.” As someone who sees farewells on a daily basis, the doctor could tell the father that with certainty. “But I pray for her to be strong enough to bear the burden. It is not one a child should bear.”

The girl had returned to the room, apple juice in hand, and that had been the end of the conversation. But for the past few weeks, he had been unable to get the image of that little girl, with hope and fear in her eyes, out of his head. He had been unable to convince himself that she would be fine even after the passing of her father. It had worried him, as he thought he was losing his objectivity, which was a crucial part of being a good doctor. 

But he had realised that he could be a good doctor and care about the well-being of a young child who had gone through too many hardships in her life. 

Hence, the reason he was here today, saying goodbye to a patient who had been a good man, and hopefully doing the right thing.

“I suppose you know that your father had taken a loan from me, for both your parents’ medical bills.”

The girl nodded. “Please let me know the total sum. I’ll look for work, and I’ll pay you back, no matter how long it takes.”

“You are 10. Are you planning on dropping out from school just to work?”

She was silent for a moment before she replied. “If I don’t work, I’ll starve. We do not have any savings left.”

His heart twinged, but he kept his voice steady as he leaned down so that his eyes met hers. “I have an offer, if you’re interested.”

She looked at him, and waited expectantly.

“Stay with my family, and I’ll raise you as my ward.” He could sense the refusal bubbling out from her, and he grabbed both her shoulders. “It’s not charity,” he explained, understanding her. “My wife and I have been looking for a companion for our son, to take care of him while we cannot.” Which was more often than not, he thought to himself bitterly. As two of the top surgeons in the hospital, the power couple, as the staff liked to call them, had no time for their only son.

“Companion?” She asked softly. 

He sensed her question. “Just to keep him company, nothing more.” She visibly relaxed. “You’ll be taken care of, and all you have to do is take care of him.”

“For how long?”

“Until you turn eighteen. The moment you do, all debts will be cleared.”

“I have trouble believing that my ‘company’ is worth that much.”

“My son’s happiness and well-being is priceless,” he countered.

He couldn’t fathom what was going through the girl’s mind; her dark eyes revealed nothing. The silence stretched for so long, he wondered if it was a wrong move.

“Okay.” 

A while later, when the caretaker of the graveyard prepared to do his rounds, he saw two figures bow deeply at two tombstones side by side, before they left, hand in hand.


	2. Chapter One

“Sir, Ms Jung wants to see you.” His secretary’s voice buzzed through the phone on his table. Lee Jihoon didn’t look away from the agreement on his table as he picked up the phone. “Send her in.”

The door to his office was pushed open, and Jihyun slipped in before closing it softly. “I wanted to go through the acquisition agreement with you before I bring it up to the boss,” she said as she approached his table. “You busy?”

“Moment.” His pencil carefully traced the paragraphs as he read through the agreement, circling or underlining several parts that needed his attention. It wasn’t an easy job, but he had experience and skill on his side, and it was only a couple of minutes more until he finished the agreement. With a sigh of relief, he set it aside and looked up at his (secretly) favourite legal counsel. “Haven’t I told you countless of times to just sit down whenever you come in?” He asked exasperatedly, gesturing for the girl to sit down.

Jihyun smiled sheepishly. “Old habits die hard,” she said as she passed the Head of the Legal Department of Choi Industries a copy of the acquisition agreement she’d been working on for the past week.

It was common culture for juniors to always remain standing while meeting their seniors, only sitting down if the seniors offered (which would be never). However, Jihoon ran his department with lesser formalities. He was someone they all respected, but he didn’t want to uphold the traditional formalities which were dearly upheld by the legal profession, which served no purpose but to remind his employees that they were less superior than he was. 

Jihoon nodded to himself while reading through the agreement. “You included the clauses Seungcheol specifically requested, right?”

“Yep. They’re under Part C, paras 30 onwards.” She flipped through her own copy of the agreement to double check, but she knew it was correct, considering the fact that the agreement had been all she breathed and slept for the past week.

She really, really wanted a break. Which was what she’d told herself two weeks ago, and an hour later Jihoon had dumped the acquisition file on her table.

Jihoon had been amused at her groan. “Don’t want the file?”

She didn’t look up from where her head was laid down on her table. “Y’know, when I said I wanted a ‘break’, I meant a break for me to actually have a life outside of work, not a breakthrough where I finally get bigger assignments.”

“So...”

She smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch my file.”

Laughing, he’d patted her on the shoulder. “One week,” he’d called out before leaving her cubicle.

One of the publishing companies under Choi Industries, Focus, was acquiring a rival publishing company, which would be to the absolute advantage of Focus in terms of profit and exposure, and to the benefit of the rival company as well, which was facing serious cash flow problems. Understandably, they were pretty upset; even though their employees wouldn’t be left jobless, their works would all be published under the name of Focus instead of their own company. But as it was the only option available to them, the submission had been voluntary although bitter. 

It took a few more minutes, but Jihoon nodded as he finished reading through the agreement. “Looks good to me. How about the individual employment contracts?”

She handed him a copy of the employment contract. “I used contracts from previous acquisitions as a reference,” she informed him. “Other than the individual details, the terms should be similar.”

“Okay.” He nodded in approval, and signed the final check slip that was used to ensure that all documents that left the department had been thoroughly vetted by him. “Bring it up to Seungcheol then. Great job, Hyun.”

Her eyes lit up with joy and relief. “Thanks!”

“I really didn’t expect you to do anything but a good job.

“Glad I didn’t disappoint,” she grinned as she left his office.

*****

Jihyun had been his junior in law school. The both of them had met at the annual Law Ball organised by the Law Society, doing the exact same thing at the same time - sitting at the sidelines and wondering when they could leave.

He’d spotted her first, clad in a long black dress that left her arms bare, sitting quietly at her table alone. As his own friends had ditched him and were swinging around on the dance floor, which he’d refused to join for the simple reason that he didn’t like dancing while being squeezed by people all around him, it was relatable. So he’d went over to her table. “Not a fan of dancing, huh?”

“And crowds,” she added. “The only reason why I haven’t left is because I promised my roommate I’d bring her home tonight, and I’m fully regretting it, because-“ she pointed to a girl in a red dress currently wrapped in a steamy embrace with another guy, “I don’t think she wants to go home with me tonight, which means I’ve just wasted my time.”

He couldn’t help laughing. “I’ll probably be seeing her back at my dorm, then. That’s my roommate she’s making out with.” He held out his hand. “Lee Jihoon, fourth year.”

“Our names are pretty similar; Jung Jihyun, third year.” She took his hand. And their friendship blossomed over talks of bar school, training, lectures, assignments, horny housemates, and alcohol.

They often camped out at the library together, and since both of them shared the tendency of avoiding parties like the plague, it was mostly just the two of them while their friends went ahead with their nights out. Throughout his stressful final year, she’d been the emotional and mental support system he never knew he needed.

On both their Instagrams, there was the same collage of two photos side by side: a photo taken of them at his graduation, and a photo of them taken at her graduation a year later, evidence of the growth of their friendship and both of them as individuals. 

At his graduation, she’d sat with his family, who’d travelled hours by train just to see their only son graduate as the top student in his year. He didn’t know who’d clapped louder, Jihyun or his parents, but he secretly thought she’d she won by a few decibels. At his parents’ insistence, she’d even joined them for the celebratory dinner. His parents were smitten with her, and he didn’t blame them. “It’s like having a female version of Jihoon,” his mum had chuckled. “But much prettier.” 

“Definitely,” Jihyun grinned at his mother across the table, while he rolled his eyes. “Also, a much more pleasant personality. Do you know he’s known as the Grinch by his juniors? I once heard someone crying in the bathroom because Jihoon yelled at her for messing up a submission.”

“It’s not my fault she’s over sensitive,” Jihoon had muttered into his rice, while his mum scolded him for being mean.

While Jihyun had excused herself to use the washroom, his parents had given him a speculative look. “What?”

“Is there something you’re not telling us?” His dad asked. 

“Huh?”

His mum had patted his dad’s hand. “Darling, what your dad meant to ask was whether the both of you are dating.”

Upon which, he’d choked on his water, and it took two more glasses and hacking coughs that racked through his body before he could speak again. “Oh God, no. No. We’re just really good friends. Really!” He insisted, exasperated at his parents’ doubtful looks. “Ask her if you don’t believe me!”

“Ask her what?” Jihyun asked casually as she sat down.

“My parents think we’re dating!”

He was sure the look of utter horror on the girl’s face was an exact replica of his. “Oh God, no! Not that he’s not a good person, Mr and Mrs Lee, you have a wonderful son,” she hastily explained, “but we’re just really good friends, honest.”

At his parents’ awestruck silence, she sighed and turned to him. “Exact same words you said, huh?”

“Can’t believe it,” he muttered as he attacked his second bowl of rice.

It had been bar school for him next, while she tackled her final year of law school. He’d gotten a scholarship for bar school, as well as a guaranteed position for training in a prestigious law firm the moment he graduated. They talked lesser, but it hadn’t put a strain on their friendship; if anything, it reminded him of how lucky he was to have her by his side, knowing that even if they haven’t talked in a while, no matter the time, he’d be able to pick up the phone and call her, and she’d still answer.

The next year, somewhere around June, she’d called him. “My graduation’s next month,” she said. “Can you come?”

He checked his calendar against the date she’d given him. It was three days before a major test. “Sure,” was all he said. So what if he needed to do some major reshuffling on his study schedule?

He’d shown up at the ceremony, and had handed her a bouquet he could swear was the biggest among all the other bouquets being gifted to other students. She’d sent him a look filled with amusement and embarrassment, but also gratitude. 

That was when he’d realised he was the only person there for her. No family member in sight. His bouquet was the only one she was holding too. But she hadn’t said anything, and so he didn’t either. 

He just made sure to give her a bigger hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I wanted the main female character to be the female version of Jihoon, I played around with Jihoon’s name and thought that Jihyun would be a good fit! 
> 
> In case you’re not sure why Jihoon and Jihyun went to law school but are working as legal counsels in a company, they’re actually still lawyers, just not the typical ones who work in a law firm. Legal counsels in a company are law grads (though not all may have went through the required period of training after bar school) and even though most of the lawyers who work in law firms tend to look down on legal counsels as being “lesser lawyers”, they are most definitely still lawyers. 
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated :)


	3. Chapter Two

“How’d it go?” A head popped over the divider between cubicles.

“He gave the green light,” she replied as she dialled the extension for Seungcheol’s secretary. “Wendy? It’s Jihyun from Legal. Can you slot me in for a meeting with Mr. Choi for the Focus acquisition matter? Yeah, the agreement’s complete. Sure, I’ll make my way over now. Thanks!” Hanging up, she sent her cubicle buddy an apologetic look. “Sorry, but I have to go meet Mr. Choi now; Wendy gave me fifteen minutes to get there. Talk when I get back?”

“Sure.” The very attractive head that was attached to Kim Mingyu smiled at her. “Good luck!”

A scoff came from behind her, and she stiffened. “Of course Mr. Lee said yes. Like he ever says no to her.” Several low snickers followed the comment. She shook her head at Mingyu, who’d tensed up and was preparing to get up for a confrontation. It’s fine, she tried to communicate wordlessly. Don’t make it a bigger issue than it already is.

“Think about how difficult it is for us mere mortals to get a meeting with Mr. Choi,” the sarcastic voice continued. “But she makes a call and she gets a meeting almost immediately. And they say that everyone’s equal.”

Like you’d ever have a reason to meet with Seungcheol, Jihyun rolled her eyes as she walked towards the flight of elevators. 

Kim Yejin was a few years ahead of her in terms of seniority, and decades behind her in terms of maturity. It had rankled her feathers when Jihyun slowly became one of the most valued counsels in the department, whereas she was still stuck with the the same level of work she’d been doing ever since she entered the company. Jihyun had found it amusing when Yejin cried foul; for someone who outright refused to do any more work than the bare minimum, spent almost all her time gossiping in the pantry, and found ways to make the poor juniors do all her work, she sure had a very high opinion of herself. 

Jihyun had never complained to Jihoon or Seungcheol, and had always forbidden Mingyu to tell Jihoon anything. “While she’s out there wasting her time on talking shit about me, I’m getting all the good files and good evaluations,” she once explained to Mingyu after she had to sit on him to stop him from pouring coffee on Yejin. “Let her be.”

Mingyu had glared at her. “She poured coffee on you!”

“I know; I’m the one wearing her Americano.” It had happened without any warning; all she’d heard was a breathy ‘oops’, and the next thing she knew, she was drenched in coffee. Fortunately, she’d gotten the worst of it; her computer had been undamaged. “Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt and assume the poor girl lost her balance on those absurd five-inch heels of hers.” At Mingyu’s disbelieving stare, she shrugged. “Could happen.”

“She was laughing. Laughing! Hyun, at least tell Mr. Lee!”

“You know Mr. Lee won’t be able to do anything against Yejin.” The entire department knew that the Kims were family friends of the Chois, her father a shareholder of the company, which meant that their precious daughter was literally untouchable. “Don’t put him in a difficult spot, Mingyu.”

And that had been the end of the argument. 

The elevator doors slid open, and she nodded respectfully at the few other people inside as she stepped in. She pressed ‘47’ for the top floor and leaned against the wall of the elevator to wait patiently.

Choi Industries was housed in their own building, which was also headquarters to most of their businesses. The building consisted of two towers simply known as the Left Wing and Right Wing, with only ten floors connected by a glass bridge in between. One of these connected floors was occupied by the legal department, which wasn’t surprising, as they not only worked for the main branch of Choi Industries, but also all the businesses under it, which was not a small feat. Another would be the topmost floor, where the centre of Choi Industries was, and where Seungcheol had his office.

Seungcheol’s office was at the far end of the Right Wing, while she was on the left. Checking her watch, she did a mental calculation and decided that she would be just on time so long as she speed-walked to his office. Inwardly, she apologised to her feet in advance.

Wendy, Seungcheol’s scarily efficient secretary, gave her a smile as she approached the office. “Right on time. Go ahead.”

Seungcheol’s office was designed to show off the power he held, with an unobstructed view of the city behind his wide mahogany table on a raised platform. It suited the man down to the bone.

Choi Seungcheol had always given off an intimidating vibe, with his broad but well-trained physique and his large dark eyes. After all, this was a man who’d been forced to take over Choi Industries when he was only 25 but had made it into the empire it was today; he had no choice but to be ruthless when it came to business. However, Jihyun had the privilege to know that outside of work, he was the exact opposite.

He looked up from his work as she came in. “Hey. Wendy said you wanted to talk to me about the acquisition?”

“Yeah.” She gave him a quick update on their work progress. “Once you’re okay with it, we’ll send it over to the company and start preparing all the other documents needed.”

He gave the agreement a once-over, and nodded. “Go ahead. Update me whenever there’s something new.”

“Got it. Anything else you want to go over?”

He thought over it for a moment. “Hyeri’s contract renewal. Where are we on that?”

She mentally pulled up the file on the model signed to Daisy, the modelling agency under Choi Enterprises which was home to some of the most sought-after models in the industry, Park Hyeri being one of them. The model’s contract would be ending next month, and had raised a few demands for her contract renewal this time round, including a higher ratio of fees. It had given Jihyun, who handled all matters relating to Daisy, a headache. On one hand, it was reasonable to give Hyeri the raise she wanted, considering the fact that she’d contributed a lot to Daisy’s earnings, and with the model getting more and more high-profile bookings, the share that Daisy - and ultimately Choi Industries - would receive wouldn’t suffer too badly in comparison.

On the other hand, the raise that Hyeri was demanding was too high for a model who’d only been in the industry for 2 years, and she’d refused to accede to Jihyun’s offer for a lower number. Furthermore, if they gave her what she wanted, the other models would be queuing up to demand their own raises. “I want 65%, and that’s the lowest I’ll go,” Hyeri had told her during their last meeting, her tone brooking no negotiation. 

“Hyeri, you know we can’t offer you 65%. Mr. Choi is willing to go as far as 50%, and that’s already a raise.”

She’d crossed her long, slender legs. “Tell Mr. Choi that I know my worth, and I’m not settling for less. As a businessman, he should be able to appreciate that.”

As a businessman, he also wouldn’t agree to something that wouldn’t make him a profit, but Jihyun kept that to herself. “I’ll pass your message on to Mr. Choi, but my advice is to take the 50%, because he’s not going to change his mind.”

“I’m not going to change my mind either. And tell him that I’ve already received several calls from...parties interested in my availability after my current contract ends.”

Shit. It was a possibility that Hyeri would sign with another agency if they didn’t accede to her demands, and one she needed to talk to Seungcheol about. “I’ll pass your message on to Mr. Choi,” she repeated.

“Also tell him that Jihoon won’t convince me to change my mind.” She smiled, but it wasn’t warm. “Oh, I know who you are. Jihoon’s prodigy that he won’t shut up about. If any of you were thinking of asking my boyfriend to change my mind, it’s not going to happen.”

She told Seungcheol about Hyeri’s comment that Jihoon wouldn’t be able to convince her, but opted to not tell Seungcheol about the fact that the minute she’d finished meeting with Hyeri, she’d immediately texted Jihoon ‘your girlfriend is an asshole’, leading to an argument with him over the phone about how there was a fine line between sticking to her own beliefs and being an asshole.

“She’s still sticking to 65%, and she also hinted at other agencies willing to sign with her.” Seungcheol’s brow furrowed. “That was something I wanted to check with you first, since you know the industry better than I do. Will any of the bigger agencies be willing to give her 65% just to sign her?”

“Doubt it, considering her experience. However,” he drummed his fingers on the table thoughtfully, “some might be willing to offer her 55% if they’re that desperate. I’ll get back to you on that; let me make some enquiries. In the meantime, if she asks, tell her you’re trying to persuade me to change my stance, but between me and you, it’s still 50%.”

She nodded. “Okay. If she calls, I’ll let her know.”

Seungcheol grumbled. “Jihoon’s of no use at all. So he’s just going to sit at the side and say yes to whatever she says? What happened to bros before hoes?”

“Maybe because, oh, I don’t know, he is in love with her?” she suggested innocently, earning her a glare from her boss.

“Mocking not appreciated. That’s why people shouldn’t fall in love. It’s inconvenient.”

She just gave him a sardonic smile. “Whatever you say, boss. Whatever you say.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes Seungcheol! I know it’s a little slow but I’m trying to build up the characters and their stories first. Trust me, when the drama and angst arrives, it’ll be a whole rollercoaster ride.
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated :)


	4. Chapter Three

From:  
Hey

Guess who finally cleared their table 

To:  
CONGRATS BB

Can’t say the same for mine :(

From:  
I’m getting off work now  
You want me to pick you up?  
We can go to the new ramen place you wanted to try

To:  
I don’t think I’d be done soon :(

From:  
I’ll just wait in jihoon hyung’s office  
Who knows, he’ll get the hint and let you off early

To:  
Hahahahaha  
That is  
Evil  
But I like it 

From:  
See you ❤️

To:  
Stay safe!  
I love you ❤️ 

Beep beep. Beep beep.

Jihyun groaned as she tried to reach for her phone in the dark. As her fingers patted around her bedside table, her eyes still closed, she felt a body press on top of hers to reach the table, and the alarm was switched off. “Don’t wanna get up,” she mumbled.

Her boyfriend dropped a kiss on her hair. “Take a few more minutes. I’ll wake you up after I come out from the shower.” The bed shifted as he got off, and she heard soft footsteps padding away as she fell asleep again.

Too soon, he was back. “Baby, time to wake up.” Gentle hands patted her shoulder. She groaned, she grumbled, but she was up. It wasn’t in her nature to snooze after the alarm went off; it was more of a once-a-month thing.

A pair of arms sneaked around Lee Chan’s waist as he was cutting some strawberries, making him smile. “I’m sorry, but I already have a girlfriend.”

Jihyun rested her head in between his shoulder blades, nuzzling against his warmth. “I’m sure I can do better. What does she have that I don’t?”

“For starters...” He dropped the strawberries into the pan, along with a spoonful of sugar. “A boyfriend that’s making her strawberry milk.”

She gasped. “Really?” Although she could make her own strawberry milk, Chan had always insisted on making it for her even before they’d started dating, and she’d always let him. It was just one on the many ways he expressed his love for her. 

“Mm hmm. After all, we do have a long day ahead of us.” The sugar and strawberries had simmered into a thick strawberry mixture, and he turned off the stove. “Eat your breakfast before it turns cold, baby.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” She started digging into her omelette. It was Hyeri’s birthday, and the company was throwing her a birthday party tonight at 247, one of the most popular clubs in the city, which was owned by none other than Choi Industries. As the counsel whose portfolio included Daisy and by extension Hyeri, she’d been invited, and after some grovelling and puppy eyes, Chan - who hated loud clubs as much as she did - had agreed to be her plus one. “Is it okay if I just meet you there? I’ll be going straight from the office with Jihoon.”

“Sure. 8pm, right?” The strawberry mixture was scooped into a glass bottle, followed by milk and finely chopped strawberries. “I’ll let you know when I get there. How’s the omelette?”

“Amazing, as usual.” She scooped up a bite, and went over to where he was fussing over her strawberry milk. “Open up.” 

Obediently, he opened his mouth, and she popped the omelette in. His eyes lit up with approval. “Mm hmm. As usual, I did a great job.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. “You did, you did.”

A boyfriend who loved her, made her breakfast and strawberry milk, and was willing to go to a party he wouldn’t normally go to just for her. Oh, she was living the life.

****

Jihyun was walking towards the exit of the subway station closest to the office when her phone rang, the caller ID showing it was Jihoon. “Hey.”

“Where are you?” He snapped, causing her to lift an eyebrow in surprise. Sure, Jihoon had his tempers and quirks, but she wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve it at 8 in the morning. She mentally flipped through her schedule, but she was sure she hadn’t missed any important deadlines or meetings. 

“I’m walking to work; I’ll be at the office in 15 mins, tops.” She replied as she walked on the left side of the walkways, trying to avoid bumping into people. “Anything?”

Jihoon hissed impatiently. All of a sudden, she knew what had set him off. “Please don’t tell me” was all she said. 

“I didn’t mean to!” He exploded, but she knew it was from desperation and not anger.

“You know, that doesn’t mean squat.” The earlier annoyance was gone, replaced by amusement. “Ji, the entire company is celebrating your girlfriend’s birthday. There’s a party just for her, a party that you’re invited to. ‘Happy Birthday Hyeri’ has been trending since midnight. And you’re telling me you forgot your girlfriend’s birthday?”

“Technically, I haven’t said anything.” She could hear him gritting his teeth as he whispered, presumably because he was hiding from the birthday girl.

“Technicalities,” she dismissed with a casual wave of her free hand, even though no one was looking. 

“And of course I wouldn’t know about her birthday trending, I haven’t been on my phone since last night. She stayed over,” he emphasised. “We were otherwise occupied.”

Jihyun visibly winced. “Too much info, please stop. What do you want?”

“I told her I didn’t forget her birthday, and I had to tell her that the reason I hadn’t gotten her anything was because-“

“You were going to surprise her,” she finished in unison with him. Truly, the title of ‘female Lee Jihoon’ wasn’t a joke.

“I also told her that she’d ruined the surprise,” he said with a hint of glee before it was replaced by sheer panic, “and now she’s very happy and she keeps saying she can’t wait!”

Jihyun stopped at a pedestrian crossing, waiting for the light to turn green. “Well, you dug your own grave, now go sleep in it.”

“I need your help!”

“I need a raise too, but we don’t always get what we want. That’s life, Ji.” The light turned green, and Jihoon grumbled and begged and pleaded and whined in her ear continuously while she crossed the road. “Alright, alright! Just stop that annoying whining. What do you want me to do? Please don’t say go to the nearest Chanel store and get her a bag; my credit card limit isn’t that high.”

“You’re one of the most high-paying counsels in the department who has less than 5 years of experience, and you’re telling me you can’t buy a bag with your credit card?” He asked incredulously. 

“Lee Jihoon, I will hang up-“

“There’s a florist a few blocks away from the office,” he said hurriedly before she could hang up on him. “Can you get the florist to make me a huge bouquet, and have them deliver it to the set where Hyeri will be having a shoot later? I just sent you the address.”

“Lemme check.” She stopped in front of a convenience store, and checked Jihoon’s message. “Kay, I’ll go. What flowers do you want in the bouquet?”

There was a moment of silence. “She likes roses?” He suggested hesitantly.

“You are hopeless,” she hissed at her phone. “Hopeless!”

“The non-romantic streak runs in the family,” he protested. 

“As someone who’s dating your cousin, I beg to differ.”

“I meant my maternal side,” Jihoon corrected. “Is Chan going tonight?”

“Yeah. He’ll meet us-“

“Talk to you later, Hyeri just got out from the shower,” he whispered and hung up.

Jihyun sighed. It was typical Jihoon to be focused on his work and nothing else, not even his hot supermodel girlfriend. She didn’t like Hyeri much, but she felt a tinge of sympathy for the woman, especially when she recalled her own loving boyfriend, and the bottle of strawberry milk in her bag. 

God was fair, she supposed.

Spring was three blocks away from Choi Industries, nestled between a quaint coffee shop and a bookstore. Through the glass windows up front, she could see that the shop was full of flowers of every shape and colour, but she didn’t seem to see any florists around. A bell tinkled softly as she pushed open the blue door. “Hello?” She called out, carefully walking through the rows of roses and tulips towards the counter at the side. “Is anyone here?”

“A moment!” A voice called out. She followed the voice and walked to the back of the store, where she saw a huge bunch of cheerful sunflowers on top of a pair of legs struggling to come in through the back door, which kept slipping shut. 

“Here, let me.” She held open the door, and the sunflowers finally managed to walk through the door. 

“I’m so sorry, but can you wait for a while more?” With his back towards her, the florist asked as he carefully placed the sunflowers into a huge bucket. “We just got a fresh shipment, and the other florist isn’t here yet.”

“Actually, why don’t I help you carry the flowers in?” She suggested. “It’ll get the job done much faster.”

The man turned around, and Jihyun couldn’t help it when her heart skipped a beat as she got her first look at the man.

She’d seen her fair share of handsome men. Her own boyfriend was a fine specimen. Cheol and Mingyu were popular among her co-workers for being two of the best-looking men in the building. She had to deal with famous idols and models. But this man in front of her knocked them all out of the ballpark (she mentally apologised to Chan). His features were what society would classify as ‘androgynous’, being both beautiful and handsome at the same, and it was accentuated by his long blond hair pulled back and carelessly tied into a ponytail. His features were stunning, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his dark brown eyes that sparkled with life and innocence.

“You’re a customer-“

“Who is very happy to help out,” she finished his sentence for him. “Don’t worry about it.” Seeing that he still hesitated, she added, “you can use it against your partner later?”

“Deal,” he immediately said, and the both of them laughed. “I’m Yoon Jeonghan,” he introduced himself as they walked towards the back of the store. “This is my shop.”

“I’m Jung Jihyun. I work at Choi Industries a few blocks away.”

“Choi Industries, huh? That’s a really nice company to work in, considering the fact that they’re very successful.” Jeonghan commented as they each carried a box of daisies into the shop. They chatted about the businesses under Choi Industries while working, and finished in 5 minutes. “Thank you so much for the help,” he said, beaming at her. “Do you want some water?”

She shook her head, pulling out her bottle of strawberry milk. “It’s fine; I have some milk.” She saw those gorgeous brown eyes fill with envy, and laughed. “Do you have a glass? We can share the milk; it’s too much for me anyway.” It wasn’t, but she could understand the love for strawberry milk. Plus, sharing was caring. 

Jeonghan didn’t say no this time. He beamed at her as he took the glass of strawberry milk, and clinked it against her bottle. “Cheers!” He took a sip, and let out a hum of happiness. “This is really good. Did you make it yourself?”

“My boyfriend did. Which reminds me, I need a bouquet.”

“Lucky you; that’s really good strawberry milk, and as a strawberry milk lover, I don’t say that lightly.” All business now, he took out a notepad from a drawer. “Is it for your boyfriend?”

“Nope. It’s for my friend’s girlfriend. It’s her birthday today, and he wants to surprise her.”

“Any idea what flowers she’d want?”

“Roses.”

“Colour?”

She pursed her lips as she thought about it. “I honestly have no idea. Go with red or pink, I guess.”

He scribbled on the notepad. “How big does your friend want this bouquet to be?”

“Go all out; she’s the extravagant kind.” She couldn’t help rolling her eyes, and he caught it. Laughing, he commented, “I presume you’re not a fan of the girlfriend.”

“You have no idea,” she muttered. 

“Well then. We can go for the classic 99 red roses, which symbolises eternal love. How does that sound?”

“Can you give me a few minutes? I’ll call my friend and ask him. Though it’s likely he’ll just say yes; he’s not the sort to fuss over details like this, which is why I’m here and he’s not.” Yet another eye roll. She seemed to always have unlimited eye rolls for this specific couple.

“Sure.”

“99 red roses,” she said the moment the line was connected. “Will that work?”

“Yes,” Jihoon immediately said. “Remember I need it to be sent this afternoon. Can the florist do that?”

“Wait.” She took the phone away from her ear and turned to look at Jeonghan. “Are you sure you have 99 red roses in stock? Because my friend needs it to be delivered this afternoon.”

He nodded. “We have contacts with certain suppliers for last minute deliveries, so don’t worry. I just need to know where and when.”

She put the phone back to her ear. “They can do it. Where should the flowers be sent to, and what time?”

Jihoon was silent for a moment. “Can’t you contact her company?”

“Lee Jihoon, you piece of-“ she caught herself at the very last moment, and took a deep breath. Think about the wonderful strawberry milk you just had, she told herself. “I’ll call Daisy,” she said, and ended the call. “Sorry,” she apologised to Jeonghan. “I need to make another call to check the time and place.”

“Go ahead.” He nodded. “Just out of curiosity, were you talking to Lee Jihoon from the legal department at Choi Industries? Short, fiery temperament?”

She blinked, surprised. “Yeah. You know Jihoon?”

“Sure. I’m friends with Seungcheol, and Jihoon joins our dinners sometimes,” he explained. “So the recipient is Hyeri, then.”

She nodded. “He forgot her birthday, and wants to get her this bouquet and pretend as though it’s a surprise he planned out ages ago.”

Jeonghan chuckled. “Typical Jihoon.”

After she managed to reach Hyeri’s manager and got the appropriate time to deliver the flowers, she passed on the information to Jeonghan, who wrote it down on the notepad. While he was printing out the bill - “tell Jihoon he can pay me back the next time I see him” - she wandered around the shop, looking at all the colourful blooms, most of which she didn’t know the names, but were pretty all the same.

Her eyes fell on the sunflowers Jeonghan had carried into the store earlier. Sunny, full of happiness. “Can I get another bouquet?” She asked when Jeonghan wandered over and passed her the bill. “Of sunflowers. They’re so cheerful.”

He smiled. “That they are. Who’s it for?”

“My boyfriend.” She stroked a soft yellow petal. “To thank him for everything, I guess. Do you think it’s okay to get your boyfriend sunflowers?”

He squeezed her shoulder. “I think the intention matters more than the gift itself. And sunflowers signify happiness and adoration. Not as romantic as roses, but it doesn’t diminish your love either.”

She nodded. “Can you deliver it for me too?” She gave him the address of Chan’s office.

“We deliver citywide, so it’s not an issue,” he assured. “So to Lee Chan, at Diamond Edge PR, correct?”

“Yep. Can I add a card?” She asked, spotting the rectangular cards arranged neatly on a rack beside the counter. Jeonghan waved his hand to signal go ahead as he generated the bill for her.

Picking a cream-coloured card with a pattern of tiny stars around the sides, she wrote:

Thank you for the strawberry milk!  
Saw these and thought of you.

She passed it to Jeonghan, who passed her the bill. She frowned when she saw the total price, which was too low to be reasonable. “Jeonghan, there’s a-“

“You helped me out, and shared your strawberry milk with me,” he reminded her. “Take the discount as a token of my gratitude.”

“But-“ she shut up as she saw the glint of steel in his eyes. She knew when to give up, and this was one of those times. “Thank you.”

“You know how I said you were lucky earlier? It goes for him too.”

After Jihyun left, Jeonghan picked up the notepad to look at the address again. “Small world,” he murmured to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I paired Chan up with an original character, not because there aren’t any ships for him (there are a lot, trust me) but because I thought Chan would be the best fit for the character I had in mind. Also, I ran out of words while describing Jeonghan’s absolutely insane beauty so forgive me for the vague descriptions TT 
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	5. Chapter Four

From:

Thank you ❤️   
They’re so pretty!  
Everyone has been taking photos of them nonstop  
Even tho they’re MY flowers

To:  
I’m glad you love them ❤️   
The arrangement is so pretty  
I didn’t get to see the final product

From:  
Let me know which florist you went to   
So I can go again next time   
To get flowers for my baby ❤️ 

247 had no line outside for once since it first opened, as it had been exclusively booked for Hyeri’s birthday party tonight, though there were several paparazzi gathered around to take photos of the famous guests that would be attending. Lee Chan leaned against a wall and scrolled through his social media while waiting for his girlfriend and cousin to show up. They weren’t late yet, but if they didn’t appear in the next 5 minutes, they would be.

“Chan?” He looked up to see Kim Mingyu, Jihyun’s colleague that he’d met a few times while waiting for her to get off work, smiling down at him. Beside him was a man Chan didn’t know. He was almost as tall as Mingyu, but where Mingyu looked like a huge puppy, the man gave off the vibe of an owl. Quiet, but intelligent. “Are you waiting for Jihyun?”

“Yeah. She said she’d be coming with Jihoon hyung, but I don’t know where the both of them are.”

Mingyu frowned. “I would’ve thought they could get the problem solved on time. There was a-“

“Wait, sorry,” Chan apologised as his phone buzzed. 

babe I’m so sorry  
something came up at work so Ji and I will be late  
can you go in and join mingyu first?   
I’ll let him know 

Chan sighed, fighting the disappointment and unease at the prospect of being alone while surrounded by people he didn’t know, at a party he didn’t want to attend in the first place. “Yeah, she just texted me. Was there an emergency at work?”

Mingyu pocketed his own phone. “She just texted me too. Yeah, there was a big mess-up by another colleague of ours, so they have to deal with it.”

“Gyu, shall we go in first? It’s 8 already.” The man beside Mingyu asked softly in his deep voice. “We can talk once we’re inside.”

“Right.” The trio made their way over to the guards at the entrance, where Mingyu gave their names. The man held out his hand. “Mingyu hasn’t introduced us. I’m Jeon Wonwoo, Mingyu’s boyfriend.”

“I’m Lee Chan, but just call me Chan. Do you work at Choi Industries too?”

Wonwoo chuckled as they entered the dimly-lit club, where music was already booming through the speakers as the guests mingled. “No. I run a bookstore a few blocks away though, so I’ve had lunch with Mingyu and Jihyun a few times. She’s a wonderful person.”

One of the booths had been decorated with flowers and balloons to represent a throne. Naturally, the star of the party was already there, a tiara on her head, flowers in her arms, surrounded by people both famous and otherwise. A photographer flitted here and there, trying to get the best shot of Hyeri. “Should we go and wish her a happy birthday?” Chan asked doubtfully. 

Mingyu snorted. “Nah, she doesn’t even know who we are. Let’s go grab some food.”

As they made their way over to the table loaded with tidbits, a man with a serious look on his face approached them. “Mr. Kim,” he called.

“Mr. Choi.” Mingyu bowed deeply. Ah. So this was Choi Seungcheol, Jihoon and Jihyun’s friend and boss. As Mingyu and Seungcheol talked about work, presumably the problem that Jihoon and Jihyun were trying to solve, Chan assessed the man. He had the air of someone who was born to lead, and seemed far to young to have accomplished so much. 

Wonwoo nudged him. “You want to go over to the buffet table first? Mingyu will find us later, don’t worry. Once he starts talking about work, it’s hard to tell when he’ll be done.”

“Tell me about it,” Chan replied as they discreetly edged away from Mingyu and Seungcheol. “Jihyun’s obsessed with work too. It’s hard to pry her away from it.” And tonight was a clear example of it, he wanted to add, but realised it sounded petty and swallowed it back.

Wonwoo smiled knowingly at him as he passed him a plate. “I know how it’s like when work is the third person in the relationship. But at the same time,” he said while taking a serving of pasta tastefully arranged on a spoon and placing it carefully on his plate, “It’s part of Mingyu, and I would never take it away from him. For me, it’s good that he’s dedicated to work. He gets into less trouble that way.”

Once they’d filled up their plates, they made a beeline to the seating area, and were lucky enough to snag two empty spots near the back of the club, where it was relatively quieter compared to the seats closer to the dance floor. “I don’t resent Jihyun for her work,” Chan spoke up after swallowing a bite of his mini burger. “But sometimes I just wish she’d put me first.” There, he’d said it. “I know it makes me sound selfish-“

“Wanting to be prioritised in a relationship isn’t selfish,” Wonwoo said a little sharply, and Chan blinked in surprise. He didn’t know that the calm and quiet man could lose his cool. “Your feelings are valid, Chan. Just because I have a different approach doesn’t mean it’s the only approach.”

It took Chan a few seconds to process, and accept that. “Right. But sometimes I just wish I could be the bigger person, and tell her it’s fine to forget about dinner dates and focus on her work.”

Before Wonwoo could reply, Mingyu approached them. “Hey! You didn’t wait for me,” he pouted at Wonwoo, whose eyes softened. 

“Here, have some of mine first. I’ll grab you a plate.” Wonwoo squeezed his boyfriend’s shoulder and got up. Mingyu took his seat and started digging into whatever was still on Wonwoo’s plate.

“Oh, Mr. Choi said Jihyun and Mr. Lee already resolved the problem, and they’re on their way,” Mingyu updated around a bite of potato salad. “They should be here soon. Our office’s only 15 minutes away.”

“Can’t wait.” Wonwoo came back with another plate of food, and Chan stood up. “Take my seat, I need to go to the washroom.”

After discreetly asking one of the staff, he wandered down an empty corridor painted a deep burgundy past several private rooms, trying to look for the washroom. So it was no wonder he bumped straight into someone coming around the corner. 

The person grunted. “Oh god, watch where you’re going!”

He shook his head to realign himself from the collision, and blinked at the star of the party, who was glaring at him with a frown on her perfect face. “I’m so sorry,” he apologised. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Not anywhere you can see,” she grumbled, and he felt his face heat up. Seeing his cheeks flush, she rolled her eyes. “Not like that! God,” she muttered.

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated, at a lack of better things to say. “Er, happy birthday.”

She sighed. “Right. It’s my birthday.” The annoyance had faded away, replaced by a wistful expression. “What a fun night.” He wasn’t dumb enough to miss the sarcasm in her tone, but he wasn’t sure if there was a hint of self-pity hidden somewhere.

The need to go to the washroom was forgotten, and he found himself asking, “Do you want to talk about it?” Because the birthday girl was looking as though it was a funeral, not her birthday celebration, and he wanted to ask, to help if he could. After all, she was his cousin’s girlfriend.

Ah. “Are you missing Jihoon?”

Hyeri looked at him, expressionless. “Who?”

Right. Their relationship wasn’t public knowledge; Chan was sure even Mingyu didn’t know about it. “I’m Jihoon’s cousin,” he held out his hand. “Lee Chan.”

A perfect eyebrow winged up. “Jung Jihyun’s your girlfriend.”

He nodded. 

Hyeri smiled, and Chan couldn’t help but gulp; the smile reminded him of a shark who’d just located her next prey. “I most definitely want to talk, then.” She pushed open one of the doors to a private room, which was empty, and walked in. Chan followed, and shut the door. Something in his brain was telling him that he should probably get out of there, but his sympathetic heart reminded him that the woman needed someone to talk to, and he silenced the warning voice in his brain.

“One night,” Hyeri declared, flopping herself down on the couch in the small room, “I only wanted him to make sure he’d be here, and he can’t even do that.”

“Well, they’re on the way.”

“Do you know,” she continued without listening to him, “He didn’t even offer to celebrate my birthday with me? Just the two of us? I mean, I get it, I have sponsors and the company throwing me parties left and right, but is it so much to ask for you boyfriend to spend one night with you, focusing on you, with no work involved?”

Sadly, he could relate. When it came to work, Jihoon and Jihyun were like kids at the toy store - they never wanted to leave it. Although Jihyun had yet to choose work over him when it came to birthdays or anniversaries, he knew that if she had to, she would. Understanding flowed into his heart. “I know.”

Hyeri laughed humourlessly. “Of course you do. Your girlfriend’s the exact replica of my boyfriend. And here we are, two lonely partners having to constantly fight for their attention.” She waved a hand in the air. “I’m a top model. I’m freaking famous. I’m surrounded by people who adore me and would give me their undivided attention. How sick is it that I only want the attention of the one man who can’t give me that?”

“It’s normal to want to feel loved,” he said, and she looked at him. “I know how you feel, remember? I’ve asked myself a few times whether she truly loves me when she forgot our dates just because of work. I know it’s part of her - part of them - but I also know how it feels like to want to feel loved.”

Her eyes were quiet as they looked at him. “You do know.”

“I do. Look,” he sat up, “I think you should talk to Jihoon hyung. He’s dedicated to his work, but I know him, and he wouldn’t be dating you if he didn’t love you. He’d see it as an unwanted distraction. But he’s dating you, and as absent as he is sometimes, I’m sure he loves you. And that should be enough, isn’t it?”

She stared at him for a moment, and he was worried he’d said something wrong. But she held out her hand. “Phone.”

Wordlessly, he handed it over, and she entered a few numbers. “I just called my phone from yours.” 

“R-right.” Sure enough, his call log showed a missed call to an unsaved number.

“Because I need to talk to someone whenever it happens.” She stood up. “And because you’re someone who understands.”

She left the room without another word, and he sat there for a while more, trying to process his thoughts. It had never occurred to him that Park Hyeri could feel lonely, when she was constantly surrounded by admirers. But apparently she did, and for the exact same reason he did sometimes. They were ultimately the same side of a coin.

He didn’t know whether the sadness in his heart was for the woman who’d just left the room, or for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Workaholic Jihoon and Jihyun? Yes. 
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated :)


	6. Chapter Five

It was 3am, and Jihyun couldn’t sleep as she stared at the back facing her on the other side of the bed, rising slowly and rhythmically as Chan slept.

Earlier, when she’d finally reached the club, her first instinct was to look for the giant that was her colleague, because she was sure that Mingyu would remember her “if he gets into any trouble I will never ever proofread your future work before you send it to Mr. Lee” warning and take good care of Chan until she arrived. 

But when she’d finally located Mingyu, he was flirting with his attractive boyfriend over food, and Chan was nowhere to be found. Mingyu had told her Chan was at the bathroom, but it was empty when she went to check, and she hadn’t found him anywhere else, not the dance floor, not the bar, nowhere. It didn’t help ease her frustration when she was stopped by numerous people wanting to talk about work or the party along the way, and she had to plaster on a smile and make small talk until she could excuse herself.

Seungcheol had grabbed her and tugged her to one side on her third round. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Chan,” she told him while her eyes scanned the room yet again and failing to find the man she loved. 

“Chan?”

“My boyfriend. Mingyu said he was in the bathroom, but it was empty when I went to check. And he’s not answering his phone.” She tried to tug her arm out of Seungcheol’s grasp. “Seungcheol.”

“With this din, I doubt he would hear his phone ring,” Seungcheol said dryly. The DJ was playing a remix of party music on the highest volume, and she herself could barely hear him unless he leaned in. “Maybe he snuck out for a smoke?”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t smoke. Seungcheol, come on, let me go.”

“Not until you calm down.”

“I am-“ She realised that she’d raised her voice (though it made no difference with the booming music), and shook her head. “Seungcheol, I’m fine. I’m just worried, and I want to find my boyfriend.” She didn’t add that it had been a shitty day at work. She’d been swamped with her own work, and just as she was preparing to call it a day and go change for the party, Kim Yejin had made that absolute mess-up of diabolical proportions, and leaving work on time so that she could get to the party by 8pm had gone right out their office window. 

It didn’t help that the dunderhead had put the blame on her. “I was just assisting her on that file,” she’d whined, while her cronies nodded in agreement. “Isn’t she supposed to check my work before sending it out?”

“And I did,” Jihyun had snapped in a rare show of temper at the workplace. “How was I supposed to know you’d send it to a competitor’s email by accident? Do you need me to babysit you even while carrying out simple tasks such as sending a follow-up email, Yejin?”

Their colleagues has obviously sensed a storm brewing, and had quickly sent up a smoke signal to Jihoon, who had come out of his office right before Jihyun was going to yell at the remorseless older woman. “Ms. Jung, my office, now. Now!”

Mingyu had forcibly yanked her into Jihoon’s office before leaving them alone. It had taken inhuman self-restraint, but Jihyun hadn’t ranted about how mad she was at Kim Yejin who could mess up a simple task like sending an email; feelings could wait. Instead, she’d given Jihoon a cool and curt update on the situation. Jihoon had merely nodded his head. “Guess we’re going to be late to the party.”

And so they were. She was late to a party she’d invited her boyfriend to, and now she couldn’t even locate said boyfriend. At this point, she wouldn’t be surprised if he’d headed home alone. 

“Seungcheol, let me-“

“Hyun.”

She’d whipped around to find her boyfriend looking at her. “Chan! Where were you? I’m so sorry I’m late, there was a problem at work-“

“I know.” He took her arm that Seungcheol had let go. “Can we leave now?”

Jihyun looked at Chan, whose normally soft eyes were filled with an emotion she couldn’t place her finger on. “Sure, but before that - Chan, this is Choi Seungcheol, my boss.”

Seungcheol’s face was schooled into a polite expression as he held out a hand. “Hello. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Chan had ignored him, his eyes only focused on her, and Jihyun blinked in surprise. She knew for a fact that Chan had impeccable manners; this was totally out of character. “Chan?” She prompted.

Before she could say anything else, Chan had led her out of the club, leaving a confused Seungcheol behind. 

In the car, neither of them had said a word. Jihyun had quickly shot a text over to Seungcheol to apologise, and had peeked at Chan’s face while he drove. His handsome face was void of any emotion as he focused on the road. She didn’t know what was on his mind, but she knew she had to ask. “Chan?”

“I just want to go home.” And that was all he said on their way home.

When they’d reached their apartment, she’d tried again. “Chan, I’m sorry I was late. We had an issue at work, and Jihoon and I had to stay back to solve it first.”

He’d walked towards their bedroom wordlessly, and she’d followed. “I’m really sorry for being late; I know how you don’t like parties-“

“Right.” He tugged off his tie and tossed it onto their bed. “It’s fine.”

She stood at the door, unsure if she should go any closer. “You don’t look fine. Can you tell me what’s wrong, please?”

But he’d went straight into the bathroom, and moments later she heard the shower run, leaving her confused and very, very afraid.

To:  
Seungcheol  
I’m so sorry  
He normally isn’t like this 

From:  
It’s alright  
Is everything okay between the both of you?

To:  
I don’t know.  
I’ll see you at work tomorrow  
Enjoy the party  
Keep an eye on Jihoon

From:  
Will do  
Get something to eat btw  
Didn’t see you eat anything before you left

Chan had came out from the bathroom in his pyjamas, and had simply climbed into bed without looking at her. Now she was annoyed. He didn’t even want to talk about what was obviously bugging him?

Well, two could play at that game. She had her pride; she wasn’t going to keep asking if he didn’t want to talk. So she grabbed her own pyjamas from the wardrobe, and left the room.

After a quick and welcome shower, she looked at the clock. It was almost midnight - she’d missed dinner, but she wasn’t hungry. Part of her was unhappy that Chan hadn’t even bothered making sure that she’d eaten dinner. He was usually obsessed with making sure that she took three full meals per day. But then he may have assumed she’d eaten at the office, she told herself. Don’t overthink it.

The bedroom lights had been switched off, and she quietly tiptoed her way to her side of her bed, slipping under the covers as gently as she could so not to jostle the sleeping Chan. 

Her tired mind was slowly shutting down, eagerly looking forward to sleep, when she heard Chan whisper in the dark, “I wish I came first.”

All traces of sleepiness were gone. So here she was, at 3am, unable to sleep because of five words.

Of course Chan was important. She loved the man. She was living with him. Where did the notion that he didn’t come first come from?

Maybe the times she’d chosen work over their dinner dates? Or when she’d chosen to stay home and work on a file instead of enjoying her weekends with him?

But Chan understood. He was a considerate boyfriend; he’d always told her it was fine to put work before him, that he wanted her to be good at her job too. She was a workaholic, no doubt about it, and she’d told Chan even before they started dating. But Chan had accepted it, and had always encouraged her when it came to work. 

Had she been taking it for granted?

The next morning, Chan had acted like the previous night had never occurred. He’d made her breakfast as usual. He’d talked to her warmly and affectionately like he always did. She’d played along, smiling and laughing, shoving the uneasiness in her heart away.

They were fine, she told herself. They were fine.

*****

Jihyun was pissed. She’d missed lunch because she had a deadline to meet. Mingyu had offered to get her something from the company cafeteria, but she’d declined; it wasn’t as though she has the time to eat anyway.

Work had been hectic recently, and the only way everyone wasn’t missing deadlines was by working overtime. A lot. And with her being ‘Mr. Lee’s favourite’, as Kim Yejin liked to put it, she had much more on her plate than anyone else. Which meant a lot of long days at the office, and long hours spent on work over the weekends. 

Jihoon had told her to let him know if she couldn’t handle it when he’d passed file after file to her. But even while she was drowning in work, struggling to breathe, she refused to do so. It was pride - it was her work, and she’d do it. Mingyu had offered to take a few files off her stack, but she’d refused; not because she didn’t trust him, but because she knew the man had his own mountain of work to deal with.

She’d managed to send over the agreements to Jihoon for a final check by 3pm, and was going to move on to the file that was due tomorrow that she hadn’t had the chance to even look at. But before she could, there was a commotion on the other side of the office that she always avoided like the plague. She’d ignored it, pulling out her file and mentally listing out the things she needed to do. Contact the manager of the company, ask for the documents she needed, send them a sample-

“Jung Jihyun!”

Oh no. Not her. Dear God, have mercy, Jihyun begged silently. 

“Look at what you did!” Kim Yejin wailed. 

Jihyun really, really, really didn’t want to look. She valued her sanity, and she valued the precious little time she had to complete this file. Which was due at 9am tomorrow. But when it came to Kim Yejin, she knew ignoring the problem wouldn’t make it go away. So with a sigh, she turned around to face the woman, whose face was red with anger. “Yes, Yejin?”

Yejin threw a file into her lap. “I can’t believe you did this to me!”

Jihyun stared at the file in her lap, which looked oddly familiar. It was the file she’d just passed to Jihoon a while ago, the file due at 3pm. “What exactly did I do to you?” If there was anything wrong with the file, Jihoon would have called her, not Yejin. What did Yejin have to do with the file anyway?

Snarling, Yejin jabbed a manicured finger at the file. “It’s my file, and you have the audacity to take credit for it just because you helped me proofread my agreement?”

Utterly taken aback, Jihyun blinked a few times. “Sorry, what?”

“It has my name on it, Jihyun,” Yejin hissed. “My. Name. How dare you submit it to Mr. Lee under yours?”

“Because it’s mine?” Jihyun couldn’t pinpoint the exact date Jihoon had given her he file to work on, but she was sure it came from him and not the crazy woman in front of her. But she saw the intitials ‘KYJ’ at the bottom left corner of the file, the system used for their department to identify whose file it belonged to, and she frowned. “I don’t know why your initials are on the file, but Mr. Lee gave it to me. If you have an issue with it, take it up with him, not me.” 

All of a sudden, the anger disappeared, replaced by a mocking laugh. “He didn’t give it to you. I did.”

“What?”

“God, you’re an idiot.” Yejin rolled her eyes. “I slipped the file into your stack. But you weren’t supposed to put your name on it. Who the heck does that on a draft?”

Yejin had continued her rant on how Jihoon had called her into his office and asked her to explain, but Jihyun wasn’t listening to her. Rage was an ugly emotion, and right now, she wasn’t feeling very pretty.

She’d spent a lot of time on the file, and had given it as much effort as she did the others. She hadn’t noticed it wasn’t marked with ‘JJH’. The file wasn’t to blame. But knowing that this entitled woman felt that she could just have Jihyun do her work for her without any regret? At this very moment, she wanted nothing better than to wrap her fingers around Kim Yejin’s neck.

But she had work to do.

Without a word, she turned around to face her desk, and continued reading the file. Yejin was startled by her reaction. “Yah! Are you listening to me?”

“Get lost before I report you to Mr. Lee,” Mingyu said coldly from the desk beside hers. “You’re disgusting, Kim Yejin.”

Yejin huffed, but left. Jihyun shoved the incident into her already-filled-to-the-brim ‘Later’ drawer in her brain, and started pulling up files on her computer that she needed.

“Jihyun.” Mingyu called softly, but she ignored him. She couldn’t talk to him; she couldn’t guarantee that the moment she opened her mouth she wouldn’t burst out in tears. And she had no time for a crying jag. After a while, Mingyu sat back down at his desk. 

Her phone buzzed, and she shot it a quick glance.

From:  
Jihyun, please talk to me.

To:  
Not now, please, Mingyu.

She didn’t tear her attention away from the file, not even for one second, as she worked nonstop at her desk. It wasn’t until someone patted her shoulder that she tore her eyes away from her desktop. 

Jihoon was standing beside her desk, dark eyes somber. “Hyun, it’s almost 9. Come on, we’re the only ones left.”

She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I can’t, Ji. This file’s due tomorrow at 9am, and I still have to finalise it. Go ahead; I’ll lock up later.”

“Send me what you’ve done, I’ll do the rest. Hyeri’s busy tonight, so I can work on it at home.”

“No, I can-oh shit.” The mention of Jihoon’s girlfriend reminded her that she had a date with her own boyfriend tonight to celebrate him being shortlisted for a promotion in his office. “Oh shit,” she repeated, grabbing her phone, which she hadn’t looked at for the past few hours. Sure enough, she had countless messages and several missed calls from Chan, asking her where she was. The last message read ‘it’s alright. I’ll see you at home.’

She couldn’t help it; a lump formed in her throat. Desperately, she took a few deep breaths, trying to stop the tears from falling. 

Jihoon grabbed her shoulders, panicked. “Hyun, what’s wrong?”

Deep breath, in, out, in out. “Nothing,” she croaked. “I’m fine.”

“You are anything but.” She understood Jihoon’s panic; she couldn’t remember a time where she’d cried in front of him before. Heck, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d cried. “Hyun, what’s wrong?”

She felt the lump in her throat subside a little, and knew that the worst was over, that her tears wouldn’t spill out. “I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just... it’s been a shitty day, and I forgot that I had a date with Chan.”

“I would guess that your shitty day had something to do with Yejin?” 

She kept her face calm. “What about her?”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Mingyu told Irene, who told me, so don’t try and pretend like nothing happened.”

Damn Mingyu. “Ji, it’s fine.”

“It is not.” He glared at her. “I do not tolerate lazy asses in my department, and most certainly not idiots like her, even if she’s family friends with Cheol. She’ll be punished for it, don’t worry.”

Jihyun sighed. This was why she’d never told Jihoon about Yejin’s mistreatment of her. She didn’t like the woman, but no one deserved to lose their job, even if she could afford to stay at home for the rest of her life. “Ji, what are you going to do?”

He patted her shoulders cautiously. “Don’t worry about it,” he repeated. “And please come to me whenever shit like this happens? What kind of boss would I be if you don’t feel comfortable enough to talk to me?”

A laugh bubbled out of her, even if it was tired and resigned. She wrapped her arms around Jihoon’s waist. “Thank you. I love you, you know.”

He hugged her back. “I know. Come on, I’ll drop you home.”

As she unlocked the door to the apartment, Jihyun’s stomach gave a low rumble, and she sighed. She’d missed both lunch and dinner. She’d grab something to tide her through the night, but first, she told herself as she saw Chan reading on the couch in the living room, she had to apologise. “I’m home.”

Chan looked up from his book, and gave her a smile as he got up from the couch. “Hey.”

“Babe, I’m so sorry. I had-“

“Work. I guessed.” Warm arms engulfed her in a hug. “It’s fine.”

“It’s really not. I don’t want you thinking work is more important than you are to me.” His hug was the best thing to come home to, his head resting on top of hers, her head resting against his toned chest feeling each breath, his strong arms tight around her, hers around his lean waist. “I had a deadline and I forgot the time. I swear, I remembered the date.”

“Don’t worry.” He kissed the top of the head before pulling her away. “Have you eaten yet?” She shook her head, and he tutted while heading to the kitchen. “I’ll cook you something; go take a shower.”

“I really don’t deserve you, you know.” She called after his retreating figure as she headed towards the bedroom. All of a sudden, she was pulled against his chest, and she let out a huff of surprise. 

“I’d never want you any other way,” he murmured into her neck. “As long as you love me...” warm lips cruised lazily along her neck, and she couldn’t help arching her head back to give him more access, “I’ll be here.”

She spun around, and their lips met in a medley of desire and pure need. 

A shower could wait. Dinner could wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised you drama, so here’s some workplace drama! Also, I’m soft for soft Jihoon.
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	7. Chapter Six

Highlight was the bar that Seungcheol and Jihoon frequented during their weekly drinking session. Jihyun was rarely, if ever, in the mood to drink, but whenever she was, she’d join them on their drinking sessions. 

Tonight was one of those rare nights. She’d finally cleared out all the urgent files on her to-do list, and Jihoon had promised to buy her a drink to congratulate her, and to commend her on a job well done. Before she could think about it, she’d said yes, and here they were.

Seungcheol downed his shot in one gulp, and gave a satisfied hiss as the alcohol slid down his throat. Jihoon laughed while taking a careful sip of his own beer. Jihoon was alcohol intolerant, or commonly recognised as an allergic reaction to alcohol, which was why he never over-imbibed, even though he enjoyed drinking. 

On Seungcheol’s other side, Jeonghan smiled indulgently at the man. “Not too fast, Cheol.” His own voice was slightly slurred, but as he was already on his sixth mug of beer, it was hardly surprising.

Jihyun had been surprised to see the angelic man sitting with Seungcheol at the table when she arrived with Jihoon. She hadn’t talked to him since the morning of Hyeri’s birthday, but there was no awkwardness as they chatted over drinks. Jeonghan had a way of talking that made people relax around him, and she was no exception to his charms. A few minutes in, and they were getting along like friends who’d known each other for a while.

“Jihyun, you’re not drinking,” Jeonghan chided. “You’re still on your first beer!”

“She’s intolerant,” Jihoon told him. “One beer, and that’s it.” Jihoon was always strict about her alcohol intake whenever they went out drinking together, knowing exactly how horrible it felt to have excess alcohol in the body that couldn’t be broken down. Even though she’d always exasperatedly told him she could take more than one beer, he’d always insisted on one and no more. After so many years, it had become her drinking habit.

“They’re the exact same person,” Seungcheol groaned. “They even have the same allergies.”

Jihyun grinned at Jihoon as she clinked her mug against his glass. “Cheers, boss.”

The bartender, who was friendly with Seungcheol and Jihoon, who were regulars, approached their table. “Any more?” He asked as he efficiently cleared the empty glasses. 

Seungcheol looked at Jeonghan, who shrugged. “Three - no, six more shots, Junhui. Thanks. Three each,” he told Jeonghan, who just laughed at him exasperatedly. “No one else drinks with me!”

“What do you do when you have your weekly drinking sessions?” Jihyun whispered to Jihoon.

“I normally stop at two drinks, so I just watch Cheol get drunk and dump him home,” he replied nonchalantly. Typical Jihoon.

“He never gets drunk,” Seungcheol was complaining to Jeonghan as he leaned against his shoulder. 

Jeonghan patted Seungcheol’s fluffy dark hair with a smile. “Well, someone has to take you home,” he reasoned. A question breezed by Jihyun’s mind, but it was gone before she could grab hold of it.

Junhui delivered the shots, to Seungcheol’s delight, and gestured to Jihoon’s empty mug. “One more, Jihoon?” Jihoon gave the man a thumbs up, and he left.

So it was the routine of the night: Seungcheol and Jeonghan would order shot after shot, with the occasional beer, while Jihoon and Jihyun stuck to their self-imposed limits. As time passed by, the former duo got drunker and drunker, their laughs louder and louder, until they were two puddles of giggling drunk men.

Jihyun calmly sipped at her glass of water she’d ordered after finishing her beer. “So, this is when we take them home?”

Jihoon already had an arm around Seungcheol, who was snoring indelicately. “Yeps. Can you get Jeonghan?”

She hoisted the man up from his seat. Jeonghan was tall, but he had a slender build, making it easier to support him. “Jeonghan-ah, come on, we’re getting you home,” she grumbled while securing her grip around his waist, making sure both of them wouldn’t fall. Jeonghan mumbled something sleepily, but seemed to understand what was happening; his feet moved clumsily as she guided him towards Jihoon’s car, where Jihoon had already unceremoniously dumped Seungcheol in the backseat. “Oof,” she grunted as she shoved Jeonghan into the car against Seungcheol. The shove seemed to have awoken both the drunk men, and they started laughing maniacally again.

Jihyun slid into the front seat. “Who are we dropping off first?”

“They both stay in the same building,” Jihoon answered as he started driving. The two men at the back had gone quiet again. Jihyun leant over to fumble with the stereo, and snorted when it automatically connected with Jihoon’s Spotify playlist, playing ‘Too Good To Say Goodbye’ by Bruno Mars. “Same old Jihoon.”

The drive was calming, the roads empty at 1 in the morning. She looked out the window, looking at the streetlights whizzing by, mind empty. It was...soothing. She didn’t realise she’d been so deprived of time to relax. “The last few weeks have been crazy,” she murmured, more to herself than anyone. But Jihoon heard it.

“You do know you still have two weeks of your annual leave to clear up before next month,” he reminded. “Don’t let it go to waste; take a break.”

She thought about the work she’d yet to complete, though relatively lesser than last week’s. “I’ll think about it.” Maybe Chan would want to go on a short holiday? They could-

Oh shit. Panicking, she pulled out her phone, but was surprised when there was no missed calls, no check-up texts. Nothing. All her lockscreen showed was the time. “Huh.”

“As your boss, I’m telling you you deserve a break,” Jihoon was saying as he made a turn. “Also, I didn’t properly congratulate you on getting Hyeri to agree to our terms.”

Right. Just last week, Hyeri’s manager had contacted her, asking her to prepare the employment contract for Hyeri according to the 50% terms Seungcheol was willing to offer. She’d been surprised - the woman had sounded so confident on getting 65% or nothing the last time they met - but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in its mouth. As long as it made her job easier, she’d go along with it. “I actually thought you persuaded her to agree to the terms.”

Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t me. I don’t talk about work with Hyeri, and that was most definitely a decision she should make without me interfering. It’s her life, after all.” The car stopped in front of a luxury apartment complex that looked like it only had 5 floors, in the area of the city where the young and rich preferred to occupy. The security guards at the entrance waved Jihoon through the gates, presumably because they were familiar with situations where Jihoon had to drop one of their occupants off. 

With some difficulty, the sober duo half-dragged, half-supported the drunk duo through the opulent lobby and towards the elevators. “Do you mind if you drop Jeonghan off at his unit while I dump Cheol at his?” Jihoon asked. “It’ll be much faster.” He pressed the buttons for ‘4’ and ‘5’.

“Sure.” The elevator doors slid open silently at the 4th floor, revealing a silent hallway. 

“Jeonghan’s unit is the one on the left,” Jihoon told her. “His keycard should be in his wallet. Just dump him on the sofa, and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Jeonghan was absolutely lost to the world as Jihyun huffed and puffed her way towards the unit on the left; the entire floor only had one other unit on the right. “Right,” she muttered as she carefully set Jeonghan down against the wall, and pulled out his wallet from his pocket. “Keycard, keycard... aha!” 

There was a soft buzz as the door was unlocked, and she resigned herself to lugging Jeonghan up again and into his unlit unit. “Why do you need such a huge space?” She grumbled at the blissfully unaware Jeonghan. Passing the open kitchen, she managed to drag him into the living room, which was illuminated by the city lights through the windows, and dumped him onto the lush sky-blue couch. “No next time,” she told herself, wincing while she relaxed her shoulders. The man was slender but he was still much heavier than she was. 

All of a sudden, the lights to the living room was switched on, and Jihyun jumped in surprise. Did Jeonghan have a housemate?

“Han, you’re home? Oh, I’m sorry-“

Jihyun turned around, and as her eyes met a pair of familiar ones she thought she’d never again see in this lifetime, she felt her entire world turn upside down. Her brain stopped working; all she could hear was a buzz in her ears as she stared at the man, who was staring at her with the same shock she was sure was reflected on her own face.

“Jihyun?”

*****

Jihoon found Jihyun standing by his car, and he hurried over. “Hey-“ he stopped as he saw her face. Her face was void of emotion, carefully schooled into a blank look, but he’d known her for far too long to be fooled. There was a storm of emotion in her eyes; frustration, sorrow, fear? “Hyun, what happened? Did Jeonghan do something?”

“Let’s go, Ji.”

“Hyun, what’s-“

“Let’s. Go.” She repeated, her voice clearly indicating that she didn’t want to talk about it. “Ji, just - let’s go. Please.”

*****

Jeonghan woke up with a splitting headache, and a desperate need to pee. He groaned and let out a string of curses as he got up from the bed, and slowly stumbled towards his bathroom. 

Oh god, he felt horrible. “Why did I drink so much yesterday?” He asked himself blearily as he leaned against the sink, trying to get his bearings. Sparkling dark eyes framed by unnaturally long lashes popped into his mind, and he groaned again. “Right. Because of him.”

After a quick shower, he felt much more human, though his head was still pounding. Grabbing his phone, he sent a quick text.

To:  
I hope you feel as horrible as I do  
I feel like shit

Within seconds, his phone vibrated, signalling a reply. 

From:  
Jihoonie was nice enough to put aspirin by my bed  
But it still hurts

There was a soft knock on his bedroom door. “Han? Are you awake?”

“Yeah!” He called out, and his favourite uninvited guest came in with a glass of water and aspirin in hand. “You’re an absolute lifesaver,” he told the man while downing the painkillers. “Thanks, Shua.”

To:  
He didn’t put any beside me  
Favouritism

“Han?”

“Hmm?”

“Yesterday...” Joshua hesitated. “Yesterday, someone dropped you home.”

“Oh, it was probably Jihoon,” Jeonghan said casually as he checked his emails. “He dropped Seungcheol off too.”

Joshua shook his head. “No, it was a woman.”

Jeonghan pursed his lip. “Jihyun then. She’s Cheol and Jihoon’s friend. We went out together yesterday.” He went back to his phone, humming as he busied himself. 

“Jihyun,” Joshua breathed. 

He finally found her.

Jeonghan finally noticed his friend’s abnormal behaviour. He looked up, concerned. “Shua? Is something wrong?”

Joshua laughed breathlessly. “No. No, nothing wrong. I - we met when she brought you home, that’s all.”

He was still suffering from the blasted hangover, but Jeonghan wasn’t dumb. His eyes darkened with seriousness, and he put aside his phone, taking Joshua’s hand. “Tell me,” he commanded.

“Han, there’s nothing to-“ Joshua tried.

“Tell me.”

“I-I can’t.” Joshua said, his voice shaky as he tried to control his emotions. He didn’t know what to tell Jeonghan, or where to start either. Their story was a messy one, with too many holes in it and no happy ending. But....

He never thought he’d see her again. Yesterday night was an utter surprise; he’d just came out from the guest room to check on Jeonghan with the intention of taking care of him, whom he knew had been out drinking with his friends. Having been friends with Jeonghan since they were in university, he was more than familiar with how drunk Jeonghan would be. When he heard a female voice, he thought Jeonghan had come home with company, and he’d apologised before stepping into the living room, wanting to give them privacy.

Instead, eyes that were a distant memory in his brain had met his, filled with embarrassment, followed by shock and horror. Before he could say anything, Jihyun had ran out of the apartment, and he’d been too stunned to give chase. 

The whole night, he’d laid in bed, unable to fall asleep as a medley of emotions raced through his heart, the earlier unhappiness from the day lost and forgotten.

“You know her? From before?” Jeonghan prompted, trying to figure out the possible scenarios. Was she Joshua’s ex? But no - he’d met the women that Joshua had dated before, and he definitely would have remembered Jihyun. She didn’t have the kind of beauty that made one stop and stare, nor the kind that would leave a strong impression like Park Hyeri’s. His mother used to describe such beauty as the kind that was quiet yet timeless, that people would never get bored of even after staring at it nonstop for the rest of their lives. 

Joshua took a deep breath. “Han, do you have her number? I need to talk to her.” 

“I do, but-“ Jeonghan hesitated. “Can I talk to her about giving you her number first?” He loved Joshua, but he was sure there was a reason Joshua didn’t already have Jihyun’s number, and he didn’t want to make Jihyun unhappy either. “It won’t be fair to her if I just do it without her permission, Shua.”

The man nodded, and leant back against Jeonghan’s pillow, exhaling loudly. “Jihyun,” he murmured. “I can’t believe it.”

Jeonghan looked at his friend, and a small furrow formed between his eyebrows. “Shua ya, what happened yesterday?” They both knew he wasn’t referring to Jihyun.

Jeonghan lived alone, and Joshua lived at his own place near the hospital where he worked at as a paediatrician. Now and again, Joshua would let himself into Jeonghan’s apartment and would stay the night. Those nights were usually the result of an extremely shitty day at work, where Joshua needed to seek solace from his best friend before he had to go back to work again the next day.

It had always been like that ever since university, where they had realised that through thick or thin, they would always be there for each other. 

Joshua’s eyes were still closed. “The usual.”

Jeonghan just held on, his presence silent but comforting. Work could wait.

*****

From:  
Do you want to grab lunch together?

To:  
Rain check?

I have a deadline to meet 

There was no reply from Jeonghan, and Jihyun didn’t have time to think about it. She fussed over the agreement, and sighed when she found it perfect. Damn it. 

She wasn’t lying when she said she had a deadline to meet; the file was due in an hour. She’d just left out the fact that she’d already completed her work, and all it needed was a final review before she passed it to Jihoon. It wasn’t because she was avoiding Jeonghan, nope, definitely wasn’t the reason she lied to him.

Groaning, she thumped her head against her table. Who was she kidding?

She didn’t know how Jeonghan and Jisoo knew each other. She most definitely did not expect bumping into Jisoo yesterday night. But she could put 1 and 1 together, and it was highly likely that Jeonghan asking her out for lunch today right after seeing her yesterday night was linked to Jisoo. 

Jisoo. She silently mouthed the name that hadn’t passed her lips nor crossed her mind for years. She thought she’d gotten over it all already, the hurt, the anger...but here she was, wallowing in a puddle of her jumbled emotions. Damn, damn, damn. Now was not the time, and not the place. Taking a deep breath, she printed out the finalised agreement, arranged it neatly in its file, and went over to drop it on the in-tray on Irene’s table. The tray was more of a huge box, and was already half-full with files from her colleagues. Jihyun took the deadline list from Jihoon’s secretary, found her file under today’s date, and quickly initialled the checkbox beside it. “Thanks, Irene.”

The woman smiled serenely at her. “Of course. Do you need me to give Mr. Lee any messages?”

“Yeah, tell him I need a raise,” Jihyun muttered, and Irene laughed. “Are there any new files for me?”

Irene rifled through the out-tray. “Nope. I think Mr. Lee’s trying to give you some breathing space,” she commented. “You’ve worked hard, Ms. Jung.”

How did she tell Jihoon she wanted a new file just so she could justify telling Jeonghan she was too busy to have lunch with it? The answer was simple: she couldn’t. Knowing Jihoon, if he was insistent on cutting back on her workload, no amount of cajoling or whining or even threats would make him change his mind. She mumbled a ‘thanks’ to Irene, and went back to her desk. 

Her eyes fell on the tall man currently focused on his own work, and an idea popped into her mind. “Mingyu!” She hissed.

Mingyu looked up from his documents and blinked blearily, a sign that his eyes were strained. It was a common occurrence in their office, where almost 90% of their work consisted of staring at a tremendous number of words for the entire day. “Hey, Jihyun. Is it lunch time already?”

She checked her watch. 10 minutes to 1pm. “Mingyu, what are you working on?”

“Uh, the agreements for THE8’s fashion show-“

“I’ll do it for you,” Jihyun interrupted. “Just tell me what to do.”

Mingyu looked at her, confused. “But it’s fine, I can-“

“When is it due?”

“Er, in 2 hours-“

“I’ll do it for you,” she declared. “Go have fun with Wonwoo for lunch. I’ll complete it during lunchtime.”

“But it’s really fine-“

The two of them were so engrossed in their fight over the file, neither of them noticed the sudden silence in the office, nor the softly approaching footsteps.

“Hello, Jihyun.”

She froze. Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. The smile on her face felt more like a grimace as she turned around to see the last person she wanted to see smirking at her. “Jeonghan! What are you doing here?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the office gaping at the newcomer. She didn’t blame them; Jeonghan was breathtakingly gorgeous, and clad in a simple white shirt, navy blue slacks and a tie to match, his blond hair carefully tied up, he looked just like the angel he was. But right now, Jihyun was finding him more akin to the devil. 

The smirk was still in place. “Lunch, remember?”

She tried for an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Jeonghan, I’m really busy. How about-“

“Jeonghan?” From behind her, Jihoon greeted his friend. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to meet Jihyun for lunch, but she said she was busy,” Jeonghan sighed. “Jihoon, you really shouldn’t be overworking her.”

Oh, shit.

Jihoon looked at her, puzzled. “I thought you already passed me the file due today. Is there still anything urgent?”

Jeonghan smiled at her, and she visibly gulped. That was most definitely not an angelic smile. “I-I-no,” she sighed, defeated. “Nope, nothing else.”

“That settles it, then!” Jeonghan took her bag, and handed it to her. “Come on, I know a place nearby. I’ll bring her back on time,” he assured Jihoon, who was still looking at her with a confused look in his eyes.

“No rush, she doesn’t have any urgent deadlines to meet.” Jihoon patted Jeonghan on the shoulder. “I have to go; I’m meeting Cheol for lunch.”

Which was how 20 minutes later, she found herself sitting across Jeonghan in a corner of a quiet cafe a few blocks away from the office, a glass of strawberry milk and a plate of soufflé pancakes loaded with whipped cream and strawberries in front of her. 

“Dessert for a meal isn’t very healthy,” Jeonghan gently chastised as he dug into his pasta.

“I’m not really hungry,” she murmured, looking around the cafe. It was full, which was normal considering the time and location, but the atmosphere was such that it wasn’t noisy; everyone spoke in quiet tones as soothing cafe music played in the background.

Jeonghan took a sip of his own glass of strawberry milk. “Let’s come again when you get an appetite for real food. Their chef’s really good.”

“Sure.” The pancakes were airy and light, and melted almost instantaneously in her mouth. She cut out a small piece, dipped it into the whipping cream, carefully placed a slice of strawberry on top, and held her fork out to Jeonghan. “Here, have a bite.”

He didn’t take the fork, but merely leaned forward and wolfed down the pancake. She didn’t mind; it just meant that they were comfortable around each other. Jeonghan hummed approvingly. “Nice.”

While slowly working through her pancakes, she held a mini debate in her mind. Should she talk about Jisoo? But Jeonghan hadn’t said anything. Should she just keep quiet, then? But what if he raised the topic later? How was she going to-

“I can literally see the gears working in your mind,” Jeonghan commented, amused. “Is it that stressful having lunch with me?”

She switched topics. “Why are you dressed up differently today?”

“Had some meetings with an event coordinator, so I put on a shirt and tie,” he explained. “Besides, my partner is in today, along with another employee, so the shop’s not left unmanned.” 

They talked about the event, which was a small engagement party, but it wasn’t last long before Jeonghan changed topics with the subtlety of a rhinoceros. “Jihyun ah, did you meet my friend when you dropped me home yesterday?” He asked bluntly. 

All roads probably led back to Hong Jisoo someway or another, Jihyun thought to herself miserably. She didn’t look at Jeonghan as she lifted her strawberry milk,but didn’t drink. “He told you, huh?”

“Shua didn’t tell me anything,” Jeonghan said slowly. The look on Jihyun’s face screamed desperation in wanting to talk about anything but Joshua, and he knew, just like it was with Joshua, it wasn’t his place to pry. “But he did ask whether it would be okay for me to give him your number.”

“Shua?” She looked up, confusion evident in her eyes, and Jeonghan frowned. 

“Yeah. I mean, didn’t you meet him yesterday night?” He was pretty sure Joshua had been the only person in his apartment yesterday. “Joshua Hong?”

“I knew him as Hong Jisoo,” she said softly. “But I’m sure it’s the same person.”

Jisoo? Jeonghan had never called Joshua by that name, even though he knew it was his best friend’s real name. Ever since they first met, Joshua had always been... well, Joshua. It made him wonder how different Jisoo was from Joshua, and - he shot another glance at the silent girl - what had happened between the two. 

It wasn’t just curiosity - it was also concern. On one side, it was his best friend; on the other, someone he’d only met twice but had already solidified herself as a person he could rely on in his heart. After all, she’d taken him home when he was drunk. And Cheol and Jihoon, two of the most intelligent people he knew, who could sense bullshit coming from a mile away, loved her and saw her as their younger sister. 

He wondered if he should press the issue. Perhaps not. “Jihyun ah, it’s fine if you don’t want me to give him your number. I won’t, you can trust me.”

“I know I can,” she sighed.

She knew she could trust Jeonghan. Seungcheol and Jihoon did; there was no reason for her not to. But now it was a battle between herself: did she want to get into contact with Jisoo?

There was nothing to resolve between them. Their story, as wretched as it was, had its ending. Meeting Jisoo would hardly make any difference. 

But deep down, she knew she wanted it to make a difference. There was still a sliver of fragile hope, hoping that they could rewrite their unhappy ending. Even if it would end in yet another heartbreak, she couldn’t find it in herself to shut off the hope completely. 

Before she could regret it, she told Jeonghan, “Alright.”

*****

After dropping Jihyun off at Choi Industries, Jeonghan walked back to Spring, his thoughts occupied with possibilities of what had happened between Jisoo and Jihyun. By the time he reached Spring, he’d already came up with 25 theories.

“Hey!” From behind the counter, Lee Seokmin greeted him cheerfully. Seokmin was a literal ray of sunshine that could easily outshine the sunflowers in their shop. “How was lunch?”

Jeonghan wasn’t listening. “How does star-crossed lovers who had to separate because of an evil mother-in-law sound to you?”

Their newest employee, Boo Seungkwan, a fresh-faced daisy who had experience in flower arrangements and a creative eye for it, snorted as he walked over, a completed bouquet of pink and blue hydrangeas in his hand. “A typical rom-com.”

“Mmm.” Maybe not. But maybe yes? Maybe - his thoughts were interrupted as Seokmin exclaimed over the bouquet Seungkwan had arranged. “Kwan, it’s gorgeous! The girlfriend will definitely love this,” Seokmin sighed dreamily. 

Seungkwan didn’t bother putting on a humble act; it was a pretty bouquet, and deserved the praise it was getting. “I’ll just leave it here for the delivery man later,” he called out as he placed it carefully on a box near the door, where there were already two other bouquets waiting to be delivered shortly later.

“Great job, Seungkwan,” Jeonghan complimented. “Alright, shall we talk about the engagement party?”

An hour later, he was mentally exhausted. They’d nailed down the concept and general arrangements they were planning on doing. He loved working with flowers, and Seungkwan always had the best ideas. However, it was still taxing on the brain. It wasn’t because he didn’t like using his brain. Definitely not. “Seokmin, place the orders for all the flowers we’ll need after Seungkwan does the calculations. Seungkwan, work on the rough sketches for me, so that I can send it to the event coordinator.”

“Got it!” The two men chorused.

“I’ll go up to get some paperwork done,” Jeonghan said, heading up the narrow flight of stairs hidden behind the counter. “Buzz me if you need me.”

The second floor of the shop was his own office. Seungkwan knew it as the office where Jeonghan would work on paperwork for Spring. Seokmin knew it as the office where Jeonghan would work on paperwork for Spring, and a whole lot of other businesses.

The office wasn’t huge, certainly nothing like Seungcheol’s, nestled at the peak of the intimidating Choi Industries office complex. There was a small table in the middle of the room, an office chair that creaked if he leaned back too far, and a small blue couch by the wall, which matched his curtains. And that was it. But he loved his small office to the maximum; it was his. Something he’d worked hard to earn himself. Also, it was where a lot of important decisions were made.

As usual, Seokmin had already compiled all the documents that needed his attention and had placed them neatly on the table, and had taken away the documents from yesterday that he’d already settled. Seokmin was really an efficient personal assistant, Jeonghan thought to himself as he settled down in his creaky chair. “Right, Yoon Jeonghan, time to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jisoo’s here! Let’s see where this is going... Any guesses?
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	8. Chapter Seven

It was almost 8pm when Jihyun walked out the subway station 5 minutes away from her apartment, mentally and physically worn out.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she answered without looking at the caller ID, assuming it was Chan. “Babe, I’m almost home.”

The other side of the phone line was silent, and she frowned as she walked a little faster. Had she forgotten another dinner date? No, she was sure they had no plans for tonight. “Chan?”

“Jihyun, it’s Jisoo.”

She abruptly stopped in the middle of the street as her mind went blank, and it was sheer luck that there had been no one behind her to bump right into her. 

“Can we talk?” 

*****

When his phone buzzed beside him, Chan set down his chopsticks and picked it up.

  
From:

Won’t be home soon

Sudden meeting

Don’t wait up

“I hope you can wait,” he told the two rolls of kimbap sitting quietly across him with a small sigh. “She won’t be home anytime soon.”

He’d made a detour to the small restaurant near his office after work to buy dinner for the two of them, and had made sure to get the kimbap Jihyun loved for her. Luckily, the kimchi fried rice he’d gotten could be reheated, and kimbap could be eaten cold. 

He couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time they’d had dinner together. Cut your shit, he scolded himself, you just had a dinner date with her a few nights ago. But a voice floated through his mind.

_ “We’re the same, you and I.” _

Shaking his head to clear his own head, he went back to his own kimchi fried rice.

*****

“Jung Jihyun for Yoon Jeonghan,” she told the security guards at the gates to the complex where Jeonghan and Seungcheol resided. The guards nodded and signalled for her to go through the gates.

For the second night in a row, she was going to visit Jeonghan’s apartment, but this time, it wasn’t to dump the drunk owner home. It was to visit someone from her past. 

The elevator ride up was smooth and silent, and the closer she got to Jeonghan’s apartment, the more jittery she felt. She was someone who always thought ahead, hating unplanned situations where she wouldn’t be in control, and this was most definitely one of those times.

Before she could ring the doorbell, the door swung open, revealing Jisoo, who must’ve been waiting for her. Neither of them said a word as she followed him into the living room. Jisoo sat down on the familiar sky-blue couch, and she took a seat on the armchair across it. 

She looked at Jisoo carefully. He’d gotten older, but he looked almost the same as he did when she last saw him. Still the same soft features, still the same brown locks, and when she noticed his fingers tapping rhythmically on his thighs, still the same habit whenever he was nervous. 

She noticed Jisoo looking at her, assessing her, and realised he would be doing the same; spotting the similarities and differences between the Jihyun now and the Jihyun he used to know, and wondering whether she was still the same.

It was still the Jisoo she’d loved ever since they were kids. But nothing between them was the same anymore.

“Where’s Jeonghan?” She spoke first, breaking the silence.

“He said he’d go up to Seungcheol’s place. I-I asked him for a few hours. To talk to you.”

Memories of the last night they’d talked came back, crashing into her mind like a tidal wave, and she gripped the armrest for support. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

_ “You’d be a burden to me! I can’t grow up with you watching every step I make, controlling everything I do!” _

She closed her eyes as her heart ached. She had never forgotten the last words Jisoo had left her with the night before she left the Hong household; she’d merely shoved it into yet another locked drawer in her mind, unwilling to deal with the pain it brought her.

“Hyun, please, I can explain.” Jisoo said hoarsely, the pained look in his eyes hurting her. Even after years of her world not revolving around Jisoo’s every action, his mood could still easily affect her own. “Please, give me 5 minutes. If you still want to walk out that door after that, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. But please give me 5 minutes to explain.”

She stayed in her seat. Wordlessly, she looked at him. Talk, her eyes said.

***** 

It was a warm afternoon, and both of them were holed up in Jisoo’s room, trying to decide on the clothes Jisoo should be taking with him to college next week.

“Bring all your dress shirts,” Jihyun advised as she took them off the rack herself, and started efficiently removing them from the hangers. “You’ll need them for presentations and events.”

Jisoo grunted his assent without turning around from the bed, where he was stuck in deciding how many pairs of socks should he bring. Five? Five sounded like a nice number, so he grabbed five random pairs and stuffed them into the open luggage on his bed. 

Before he could move on to boxers, Jihyun had already walked over, sighing at his choices. “Stick to the darker colours; they’ll fit both formal and casual outfits,” she tutted, taking out the pink socks he’d chosen and replacing it with a black pair. “How can you suck at packing so badly? You’ve always packed your own bags for your trips.”

“I’ve never packed for a whole year from home,” he muttered. 

Laughing, Jihyun went back to folding his dress shirts nearly. “If you need anything there, just go shopping. We can’t be bringing everything there.”

We.

He couldn’t believe Jihyun had made it to the same college as him. And like him, on a full scholarship too. Even though he deserved it but didn’t need it, she deserved it and definitely needed it, especially when his parents weren’t going to support her anymore. The thought of it made his heart sink. 

Jihyun’s birthday was next week, signalling the end of her term as his parents’ ward. When she left with him for college next week, she would never come back to this house. He was relieved at the fact that they’d still see each other on campus, even though she wouldn’t be taking care of him like she always had, but he was unhappy as well. She was part of his life, even more so than his absent parents. And just because they were kicking her out because their contract had ended didn’t mean that he was done with her. He wanted to take care of her, to return the favour she’d done for him for the past 8 years.

A plan formulated in his head. 

That night, he sat on his bed, silently waiting up for his parents to come home. “It’s 1am already,” he grumbled to himself, fighting to keep the weariness at bay. He knew his parents came home late, but he’d never expected ‘late’ to be the likes of 1am in the morning.

As if on cue, he heard the front door open and shut. He waited for 5 more minutes, and slipped out of his room, careful to tiptoe past Jihyun’s bedroom. Softly, he padded down the stairs, and as predicted, he found his mother in the kitchen, who looked at him with evident surprise in her eyes. “Jisoo, what are you doing up so late?” She asked as she washed her go-cup. “I know you’re excited to go to college, but you should be getting as much sleep as you can now.”

“Mum, I wanted to talk about Jihyun,” he interrupted before she could lecture him on how pre-med wasn’t a walk in the park. He was occupied with rehearsing his speech in his mind, he didn’t notice how his mother’s grip on the go-cup tightened, her knuckles turning white. 

But when the doctor spoke, her voice was calm. “What about her, Jisoo?”

“Mum, I know she’s supposed to leave next week and never come back because of that agreement you and dad signed with her when she was 10, but can you consider extending that agreement? For a few more years at least?” His mother hadn’t looked at him, and his fingers automatically started tapping against the back of his thighs. “It’s just that she’s really been a great help to me these past few years, and I don’t want to see her struggling in college and university too. I know she’s got a scholarship and can definitely get another one for university, but-“

“Jisoo ya,” his mum cut him off mid-speech. “Don’t you think you’re burdening Jihyun?”

His mind went blank at his mother’s words, spoken in that soft tone. “Wh-what?” He managed to squeeze out the word from his throat, which seemed to have closed up.

His mother set aside the clean go-cup on the counter, and turned around to look at him, her eyes - the eyes he saw in the mirror every morning when he woke up - full of sadness and understanding. “Look at how she has to take care of you. It’s amazing how she managed to juggle both her studies and taking care of you and the house at the same time. But I’m sure that it has never been easy for her.”

“I’m not a burden,” he croaked. He wasn’t, he wasn’t...

Aren’t you? A sly voice in his head asked.

His mother sighed. “Not to me, of course, darling. But if your father and I were to continue supporting her tertiary education, she’d need to continue taking care of you. That would be our agreement, Jisoo.” Those eyes turned piercing. “Do you think she can do it?”

“Why can’t you offer her support without asking her to take care of me?” He retorted. 

His mother raised an eyebrow. “Darling, you can’t be asking me to give without expecting anything in return.” She leaned forward. “Make her the offer if you think she can handle it without messing her education up, Jisoo. But think hard before you make any rash decisions.” It was spoken in a low voice, but he heard the threat behind it. 

“Keep your offer. I’ll support her myself if I have to.”

“With what? Your allowance from us?” His mother’s face went dark. “Try it, Jisoo. You’ll find yourself in trouble if you do.” Sensing her son’s distress, she softened her expressions. “Jisoo, it’s only for the best. I know she’ll be struggling, but she would struggle more if you want us to make another agreement with her. We have to let her go, Jisoo.”

He left without another word.

The next day, Jisoo was nowhere to be found. The only thing he’d left was a note stuck to her bedroom door: Talk to you tonight.

It was so unlike Jisoo, who was responsible enough to know that he should inform her of his goings and comings to ensure she wouldn’t get into trouble with his parents, that she downright panicked. It didn’t help that he’d turned off his phone, and none of his friends from high school had seen him. But she’d decided against calling his parents; he said he’d talk her tonight, so she’d give him until tonight. If he was still AWOL by tonight, she’d be calling his parents, damn the consequences. 

For the rest of the day, she occupied her worried and fearful mind by packing her own stuff into cardboard boxes. Unlike Jisoo, who just needed to pack for college, she was packing for a farewell from the house she’d never come back to again. Over the years, she hadn’t bought much stuff - her meagre allowance went towards her piggy bank and bare necessities - but Jisoo was always buying her random gifts. 

“For making me the best brownies,” he’d said when he gave her a copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. 

“Thought you’d need this,” he’d said when he got her a small box of assorted hair ties.

“It’s getting colder,” he’d said when he got her a navy blue scarf.

She’d always taken care of Jisoo. But he’d always taken care of her too.

At eight, the front door opened, and Jihyun nearly ran into Jisoo in her haste to see him. “Please don’t do this anymore,” she said, nearly in tears. “Soo, I was so worried, where have you been?”

“I need to talk to you.” Jisoo’s tone was emotionless, flat. Silently, he walked towards his room, and Jihyun followed, confused.

“Soo, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?”

No, he wanted to say. Nothing is okay.

He’d spent the day in the park, sitting under a tree, thinking about the past 8 years. About how Jihyun always slept late because she had to study to make sure she could tutor him. About how Jihyun always woke up early just so she could prepare breakfast for everyone. About how Jihyun barely had time to herself because she had to clean the entire house. About how Jihyun had always been willing to do anything for him, even if it would get her in trouble with his parents later. About how his comfort and needs have always been her priority, regardless of her own. 

On and on the list went, and down and down his mood plunged. 

He was a burden, wasn’t he? 

“I’m switching colleges.”

She blinked, not understanding. “Soo, what?”

“I’m switching colleges,” he repeated. “I’m taking up the other offer.”

“No, but,” she shook her head slowly. “Soo, this college has always been your dream. Why are you suddenly thinking about switching?”

Because he knew that if they went to the same college, she would still be finding ways to take care of him. He didn’t want that anymore. He knew she would be fine on her own; she’d literally raised the both of them. 

But he knew she wouldn’t accept it, and would definitely find it ridiculous. The only way was to break her heart, even if his own was broken in the process.

“I don’t want to be close to you anymore, Hyun.”

His chest exploded in pain as the girl’s eyes went glassy with shock. “What?”

“I’ve had enough, Hyun. I need to live my own life.”

“Soo, I’ll keep my distance, you don’t have to move-“

“You’d be a burden to me! I can’t grow up with you watching every step I make, controlling everything I do!”

He thought he heard something crack, but he didn’t know whether that was his heart or hers. And looking at her expression, he knew that that was the end, that he’d won. But why didn’t it feel like a victory? I’m sorry, he wanted to scream, to take her into his arms, to tell her everything. But he knew he couldn’t.

“Don’t worry, I’ll move.”

And that was the last thing they’d said to each other before she disappeared from his life the next day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who guessed it correctly, yes - Jisoo and Jihyun are childhood friends. The years they spent apart due to the misunderstanding, though... :(
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	9. Chapter Eight

It was funny how the past and present overlapped, Jisoo thought to himself bitterly, as Jihyun sat there, her eyes glassy with shock, which was exactly how she’d looked that fateful night years ago.

“You son of a bitch,” Jihyun choked out the words, earning a half amused glance from Jisoo.

“I suppose I am.”

“So you said that,” she struggled to let the words out, “because you didn’t want to be a burden to me anymore?” She felt like laughing hysterically, or crying uncontrollably, or both, at the absurdity of the situation.

“You were never a burden, Soo,” she said, the nickname from their childhood easily slipping out. “It wasn’t easy, but I never saw you as a burden.”

“I know.” It had taken him years to see how his mother had manipulated him that night in the kitchen. “Hyun, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”

“You did.” Jihyun agreed. “I can’t lie and say you didn’t.”

“That’s...fair. I’m sorry.” Carefully, he went over and crouched down beside her armchair. Seeing that she didn’t flinch away from his presence, he reached over and took her hands, and was relieved when she didn’t push him away. “Hyun, can we start again? Please? I really missed you.”

An hour later, the front door opened, and Jeonghan walked in cautiously. “She just left,” Jisoo informed him from the couch, a glass of wine in his hand.

Jeonghan scrutinised his best friend’s face, where there was sadness, but also a hint of hope. “Did it go well?” He didn’t know what the both of them were going to talk about. When Seungcheol had asked why he was camping out at his place, he’d merely told the man that he wanted his company. 

He just hadn’t told him exactly how much he craved his company on an hourly basis. 

Jeonghan waved the thoughts away. It wasn’t about his feelings; tonight, it was about Jisoo’s.

“Do you want to hear a story, Han?” Jisoo said softly, his fingers toying with the stem of the wineglass. “A story about how a child had to take on more responsibilities than she should have, and how two lives were ruined with just a few words. I make my living with tools that cut holes in humans and make them bleed, but I’ve always known that words could do far greater harm.”

Jeonghan merely grabbed his own glass of wine, and settled down beside his best friend.

*****

The lights were off in her apartment, but being familiar with the layout, Jihyun didn’t make a sound as she made her way towards the bedroom in the dark. Quietly so she wouldn’t wake up her boyfriend, who was slumbering under the blankets, she grabbed her pyjamas and snuck towards the bathroom for a quick shower.

She spotted the takeout boxes on the kitchen counter when she was done with her shower. Guilt bubbled up in her chest for missing dinner that Chan had bought for her. He’d even bought her kimbap. She hadn’t had dinner, but she wasn’t hungry, so she just popped the kimbap and kimchi fried rice into the fridge. They’d make a good breakfast tomorrow.

While getting into bed, she realised that she’d gotten good at not waking up Chan whenever she was home late. Wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, she thought dryly.

As she closed her eyes, she felt the bed shift, and warm arms pulled her into a cuddle. “Hi,” Chan murmured sleepily into her hair.

“I thought you were asleep! Did I wake you up?” Jihyun asked worriedly. 

“No, don’t worry. How did the meeting go?”

She laughed softly. “I’ll tell you about it tomorrow morning. Goodnight.”

He was already sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, but the next few chapters will be longer.
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashback to Jihyun and Jisoo’s life as they grew up together.

The doctor’s house was nestled in a well-secured area of town, where most of the rich and influential had their own humble abodes. Before they went in, the doctor had crouched down and looked into her eyes solemnly. “Ready to meet them?” 

She nodded. With a quick pat on her head, he pushed open the front door and led her into the house. She didn’t have time to gawk at the monstrosity of the house before they were greeted by two people.

The boy was holding onto his mother’s hand, just as she was holding onto his father’s. His hair wasn’t black like the doctor’s was, but was a shade of honey brown, like his mother’s, and his eyes of the same shade were currently scrutinising her like she was a wild animal who’d roamed into their house by accident.

She supposed she was.

The doctor led her over to them. “This is Jihyun. Jihyun, this is my wife, and my son, Jisoo.”

She bowed deeply. She may still be grieving, but manners were not to be neglected.

The woman spoke. “Jisoo, show her to her room.” Her voice wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t exactly welcoming either. The girl couldn’t help staring at her for a few more moments than necessary; the woman was stunning, with sharp features and a willowy figure. Before anyone could say anything, the woman had left, and the doctor quickly followed, leaving the two children alone.

Both of them stared at each other warily. Jisoo spoke first. “Dad said you’re an orphan, which is why you’re here.”

She forced herself to ignore the ache in her chest, to swallow back the tears. But she didn’t trust herself to speak as she felt a familiar lump in her throat, so she merely nodded.

“It’s alright. I feel like one too, sometimes, when my dad and mum go to work.” He took her hand and led her up the grand marble stairs curving up to the second floor. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t the same, but she knew it wasn’t her place to invalidate his feelings. So she said, “it must be lonely.”

“It is.” They walked down the long hallway until they reached a white door, which he pushed open, and she couldn’t help it when a gasp escaped her.

There was a big bed in the middle of the room, with pastel pink and purple sheets on it. The walls were painted a muted grey, with a white fluffy carpet at the foot of the bed. “This is my room?” She whispered. 

“Uh huh.” As though he just realised something, he turned to look at the young girl, who was still gaping at the room. “Are you afraid of sleeping alone?”

She shook her head. The fear of being alone had been left behind when she had to stay home alone every time her father was sent to the hospital, and she couldn’t stay there to look after him. It was just that she’d never had a room of her own; their house only had one room, which all of them had shared, cuddled together under a blanket every night. It had been the three of them, until it was only the two of them, and now she was all alone. 

The feeling of loss and grief crashed through her barriers, and she covered her mouth as she sobbed. 

Suddenly, she was enveloped in a hug. “I’m sorry,” Jisoo whispered as his hands patted her back slowly. “I’m sorry.”

So was she, she wanted to reply.

*****

Before her alarm clock could go off at 6 in the morning, Jihyun was already out of bed and slipping quietly into the bathroom down the hall that she shared with Jisoo. Fifteen minutes later, she was already in the kitchen, a pink apron on top of her school uniform as she pulled out the ingredients she’d need to make pancakes from the fridge and pantry. She mixed the ingredients together with an ease cultivated from practice, and set the batter aside for a moment as she popped a capsule into the coffee machine, knowing it wouldn’t be any longer until one of the adults came into the kitchen looking for their first dose of caffeine of the day.

As she’d predicted, the father came down first. “Good morning, Dr. Hong.” She slid the freshly brewed coffee across to him, already in his go-cup. “Do you want anything to eat before you leave for the hospital?”

The doctor rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Good morning. I don’t think so, I’m in a rush today.”

“I made wraps yesterday,” she offered as she brewed another cup of coffee. “You can take it to go, and reheat it in the pantry later.”

“Alright.” 

She opened the fridge and took out one of the wraps sitting quietly inside. “Here you go. Have a safe drive, Dr. Hong.”

He waved goodbye as he took the coffee and wrap and left the kitchen. She heard the front door open and close, and moments later, the sound of a car driving away.

She’d just finished flipping the last pancake when Dr. Han walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, Dr. Han. Would you like to have breakfast?” She’d switched from Korean to English, knowing the woman preferred her native language over her husband’s, so even though her own command of the language was poor, she’d at least mastered the basic sentences to communicate with the woman.

The woman sat down at the counter. “You made pancakes?” She asked, her nose wrinkled with disapproval. 

She merely gave the woman a smile. “Jisoo did well in his test, so I promised to make him pancakes this morning. Would you like something else instead? I made some wraps yesterday, and I can toss up a salad if you want.” Having been here for more than a year, she knew that the mistress of the household practiced what she preached, namely healthy food for a healthy body. Which was why Jisoo had a stash of snacks under her bed; he’d eat his veggies but he wanted his junk food too, and they both knew his mother would never look for it in her room. 

“I’ll take the salad.” 

“Alright, Dr. Han.” Jihyun set the plate of pancakes aside, and went ahead to prepare the salad with the vinaigrette dressing that the woman preferred. When she was done, the woman had already finished her cup of coffee, and was flipping through the newspaper that Jihyun had taken in from the front door mat earlier. She set down the salad on the counter. “Would you like another cup of coffee?”

“Yes, please.” The woman didn’t look up from the newspaper. 

While waiting for the coffee to be done, Jihyun busied herself by washing up. As the coffee machine beeped to signal the completion of the cup of coffee, the woman spoke up. “Will you need to do a grocery run this week?”

After passing the woman her coffee, she pulled open the fridge and pantry, and did some thinking in her head. “Perhaps on Friday.”

“Alright. If Jisoo is free, bring him with you.”

“Yes, Dr. Han.” She was young, but she wasn’t dumb; the implied message of ‘do not disturb my son unless absolutely necessary’ was loud and clear. “I’ll check with him.”

Said son chose that moment to skip into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw his mother, his eyes widening in surprise. Jihyun didn’t blame him; both doctors were normally already at the hospital when Jisoo woke up. “Hi, mum! Don’t you have work today?”

The woman’s eyes softened marginally when she looked at her only son. “Yes, but I can go in a little later today. I’m not needed until 9.”

Jisoo grinned at her when she slid him a plate of pancakes, already topped with honey and a small slice of butter. “Hey, you remembered!”

“Of course. A promise is a promise.” She grinned at him, and climbed onto the stool beside his, preparing to dig into her own plate of pancakes.

“What test was it, Jisoo?” His mother asked. 

“Geography!” He answered excitedly and proceeded to tell his mother about the hours he’d put into the subject. Though one of the top students in their grade, Geography had been his only weak subject, and Jihyun had made a promise with him to study hard for the test together, and if he got the marks he wanted, she’d make him his favourite breakfast - pancakes.

“How many marks did you get?”

“80,” Jisoo answered while shoving another mouthful of pancakes into his mouth, which was why he missed the look of disapproval on his mother’s face. “Which was my goal!”

She knew what the woman wanted to say, and she really, really didn’t want Jisoo to be around when the woman said her piece. So before the woman could open her mouth, she intervened. “Soo, we haven’t run through the words for the spelling test later. Do you mind getting the book? We can go through it while we finish up breakfast.”

“Sure!” He leapt off his chair, and ran out of the kitchen.

“Jihyun,” the woman started, “You know 80 is hardly something which can be considered as a good grade. Jisoo can do better, and I’m expecting you to make him do better.”

Her fingers were trembling out of nervousness, and she quickly hid them behind her back. She reverted back to Korean to put forward her points better. “Dr. Han, Jisoo shouldn’t be letting any of us set the standard for him. He set the goal of 80 marks, and he achieved it. Compared to his previous results and how he was demotivated, it’s an improvement. I’ll study harder with him,” she hastily added. “But please don’t tell him that his efforts weren’t enough.”

The brown eyes hardened. “Don’t tell me how to be a parent,” the doctor said coldly in English.

“I didn’t-“

Jisoo skidded into the kitchen, waving their English textbook in his hand. “Got it!” He said, ignoring the tension in the air. 

The woman got off her stool. “I’m going to work,” was all she left behind. 

Jihyun couldn’t help wincing as disappointment clouded Jisoo’s face. “Did she say anything about coming back for dinner?” He asked her, the brown eyes an exact copy of his mother’s full of hope. 

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Soo, she didn’t say anything. But maybe Dr. Hong will be back earlier; he did leave much earlier today.”

Sometimes, she wondered as the boy in front of her quietly opened his English textbook, all of the earlier excitement gone, whether having both parents still alive was better than having both of them dead, when one didn’t see them for more than 2 hours per week.


	11. Chapter Ten

Knock, knock. “Come in,” Jisoo called from his bed, where he was lazily lounging. 

Jihyun came in, Hoover in her left hand and a rag in her right. “Hey. You staying or leaving?”

“Leaving.” Groaning, he pushed himself up and grabbed his phone. But before he left the room, he hesitated at the door. “You want some help?”

She rolled her eyes. They both knew there’d be hell to pay if his mother caught him doing the chores that she was supposed to do. She still remembered the cold and harsh lecture she’d received the last time Dr. Han came home for a quick change of clothes, and found the both of them laughing while cleaning the doctors’ bedroom. “Do not forget that you’re here to take care of my son, and our house. That was the deal my husband stuck with you.”

She’d remained quiet, head bowed down, as she always did during these infamous lectures about how she should know her place. No spending money on things she wanted but didn’t need. No prioritising her studies before Jisoo’s. No cooking food that Jisoo wouldn’t eat, even if she wanted to. No using anything in the kitchen unless it was for both Jisoo and her. 

“Jisoo’s time is to be spent on studying. He has to be the top student for him to go to medical school and survive. And you asked him to help you clean the house?”

Technically, Jisoo himself had offered to help. “You spend hours cleaning this place the moment we get home from school,” he’d nagged as he grabbed a rag, “I stay here too, you know.”

Ah well. 

“It’s fine, Soo.” She waved a hand at him. “But you might want to start on your homework while you’re waiting for me to be done in here.”

He stuck a tongue out at her, but still obediently grabbed his school bag before heading out.

Hours later, after a quick shower to get rid of the sweat and grime, she joined him in the study they shared. “Done?”

He took a break from scrolling through social media on his laptop to pass her his neat stack of homework. “Yeps.”

“Good. Study for the quiz Mr. Park will be giving us next week, kay?” She went to her own study table, which was across his, took out her same set of already-completed homework and began cross-checking Jisoo’s answers with her own.

“I really don’t know how you always manage to finish all your homework before we get home,” Jisoo grumbled from his table.

“Determination,” she calmly replied as she used her pencil to circle a minor mistake on Jisoo’s book.

When Dr. Hong had first registered her at the same school with Jisoo - and since they were the same age, the same grade as well - she’d panicked for the first few days. Not because it was a private school that was the exact opposite of her old school which only had 30 students and was in an old building that seemed like it was going to collapse at any moment, and not because the students all looked at her weirdly and the only person she knew was Jisoo. It was because she realised she had no time to complete everything she needed to do in a day.

Before she joined Jisoo at school, she would tidy the house in the morning, try her best to tutor Jisoo in the afternoon once he got home from school, and keep him company at night while he did whatever he wanted to do. But with school now occupying her mornings and her own homework to complete in the afternoon, it had been difficult to cope with everything when it first started.

So she secretly completed her homework whenever the teachers weren’t looking, and sometimes on the school bus on the way home, and did her chores while Jisoo did his own homework. She’d then check Jisoo’s homework with her own; being top students in their year, it was only rarely that both of them got a question wrong, so it was a fairly safe system. While she tutored Jisoo through revising for their next exams, it worked as a revision session for her as well. 

Being in the same year, she attended the same classes as Jisoo, and she’d quickly realised that tutoring Jisoo would be difficult if she was learning at the same pace as Jisoo. So every night after Jisoo went to bed, she’d stay up for a couple of hours, studying in advance what the teachers haven’t taught, just so that she could be well-prepared to tutor Jisoo, and to justify sneakily doing her homework and not paying attention in class.

It was difficult, it was tough, and for the first few weeks she’d yawned nonstop throughout the day, eyes bloodshot and dry, until her body had finally gotten used to only getting 6 hours of sleep per day. But she’d never complained. And whenever she saw Jisoo’s bright smile of pure joy at getting the good grades he wanted, she told herself it was all worth it, as long as he was happy.

“You only made a few mistakes,” she informed him as she put the books on his table. “I’ve marked them out already; take a look.”

Jisoo obediently opened the books to check the mistakes he’d made. She didn’t need to give him the right answers; he always managed to figure out where he went wrong after she pointed out the mistakes, which was why she’d always reminded him of the importance of double-checking all his answers in the exams. “Done!” He announced with the flair of someone who’d just finished running a marathon, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay. Do you need help with studying for the quiz?”

He shook his head. “I think I’ve got it.”

“Alright. Let’s run through it when you’re done.”

She asked; he answered out loud while she answered in her head. And as usual, when Jisoo said he got it, he got it. When they were done, she gave him a big thumbs up. “Perfecto. Wanna call it a day?”

“Don’t have to ask twice,” he said, dumping all his books back into his school bag. “What’s for dinner?”

She mentally recalled the remaining ingredients in the fridge. “How about kimchi stew?”

To an outsider, the scene in the kitchen would’ve seemed wrong: a 10-year-old cooking for another 10-year-old, one with her busy hands chopping up the ingredients and preparing the stew on the stove, while the other sat on a stool and talked about anything he could think of. But to them, it was just another day.

*****

Jisoo had only found out about her late night study sessions a few months later, when he couldn’t sleep and wanted to hunt for for a warm glass of milk. Before he reached the kitchen, he saw the lights in their study room on, and to his surprise he’d found Jihyun hunched over her History textbook at her table. “Hyun? Why are you still awake?”

The surprise in her eyes echoed his. “I just wanted to get some reading in before I slept,” she answered carelessly as she got up and walked to him. “Having trouble sleeping? Do you want me to get you some warm milk?”

He nodded. “I’m tired,” he explained as the two of them walked into the kitchen, “but I can’t fall asleep.”

“The milk should help you sleep, don’t worry.” As he clambered onto a stool at the kitchen counter, she put a mug of milk into the microwave. “Is there anything on your mind?” When he didn’t answer, she turned away from the microwave to look at him. He was staring in the direction of the front porch, eyes distant. “Soo?” She called gently.

The ding of the microwave seemed to pull him away from his thoughts. “What time do you think dad and mum will be home?”

She used a spoon to give the now-warm milk a quick swirl to make sure it was evenly heated. “I’m sorry, Soo, I don’t know.” Even though she slept much later than Jisoo, the doctors were never home before she went to her room. With her and Jisoo’s room on the other side of the house from the master bedroom, she wouldn’t have been able to hear them coming home. She tested the milk, deemed it a safe temperature, and handed Jisoo the mug. “Here you go.”

He took it, but his eyes were full of sorrow and longing that she dearly wished a warm glass of milk could wipe away. “We live in the same house, but I miss them,” he mumbled. 

She could only take his hand and squeeze it tightly. “I know.”

Eager to talk about anything else but his absent parents, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he recalled where he’d met her. “Why were you still in the study?”

“Like I said, I just wanted to do some reading before I slept.”

“Hyun, it’s almost midnight. What reading can’t wait till tomo - wait. Wait,” he exclaimed. “You’ve been doing this every night, haven’t you? Is that why you look like a panda every morning?”

“I do not look like a panda!” She protested. He raised an eyebrow, eliciting a growl from her. “I. Do. Not.”

All of a sudden, he slid off the stool and ran out from the kitchen. “Soo?” She debated following, but decided to wash up his mug first. It didn’t take more than 15 seconds, and on her way back to his room where she thought he’d be, she saw him in the study, poring over the textbook she was reading. “Soo, what -“

He turned towards her, those brown eyes she’d come to cherish full of confusion and accusation. “Mr. Kim hasn’t gotten to this chapter yet.”

She knew it wasn’t a question, and she didn’t reply. Jisoo was prone to feeling guilty for things that wasn’t his fault, and she prayed fervently to any divine creature who was listening for him to not connect the dots. Because it truly wasn’t his fault, even though he wouldn’t believe it.

“You’re studying first so you don’t have to pay attention in class, just so you can do your homework?” 

Wait. He sounded...amused?

“Hyun, that’s sneaky.” He grinned, and the weight on her heart disappeared. “Can I join?”

“No.” She pulled him out of the study. “Bed, now.”

His room had a similar layout as hers, just in a shade of blue and white, and far messier. Which was inevitable, she supposed, considering that he did have more personal items to leave around than she did. She sat on the side of the bed as he climbed under the sheets and hugged his stuffed shark. “‘M sleepy now,” he mumbled into his shark.

“Goodnight.”

**** 

“It wasn’t until she left that I realised she had to do that because she needed to tutor me,” Jisoo said as he stared at nothing in particular. “And do you know what kills me?”

Jeonghan waited. 

“Knowing that she had to grow up so fast just because of me. That guilt? It’ll never go away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify:
> 
> Jisoo and Jihyun are the same age, while Jeonghan, Seungcheol and Jihoon are one year older. 
> 
> So now you know the story behind Jisoo and Jihyun’s childhood, and why I’m super glad that the plot I had in mind had them coming back to each other again. They’ve been through a lot together. :)
> 
> As usual, thank you for reading and comments are appreciated!


	12. Chapter Eleven

“I really don’t think this is a good idea,” Jihyun groaned. “Ji, please, no.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“Ji, come on-“

“Hyun,” Jihoon interrupted, exasperated, “Do you really think there is absolutely no need to introduce Jisoo to us?”

“You all know him!” She threw up her hands. “Why do you need an introduction?”

“I don’t,” Jihoon raised his own hands, palms up. “I’ve never even heard of him until you mentioned it.”

“Which would obviously show that Jeonghan wants his circle of friends to stay separate?” she tried, to no avail. Jihoon glared at her.

“That was until you told me Jisoo’s your brother!”

“We’re not related! It was an expression!”

Jihoon’s eyes turned serious. “I know; I’m not dumb. Look, you’re like a sister to me too. I just want to know more about this person who you’re letting back into your life even though he did some messed-up shit.”

“You’re just jealous I’ll spend more time with him,” she muttered under her breath. She understood where Jihoon was coming from; in his place, she’d want to meet Jisoo, and probably throw a few punches or at least a few scary glares too.

A corner of Jihoon’s mouth curved up. “You know that’s technically impossible, considering the fact that you’re in the office for the entire day.”

“Glad you know it,” she grumbled. “Alright, I get why you want to meet Jisoo, but why are we bringing Chan into this?”

Jihoon looked at her, his eyes questioning. “Is there something I should know?”

Jihyun was baffled. “Like what?”

Slowly, as though he was talking to a child, Jihoon explained. “Chan is your boyfriend. Jisoo is your brother - for lack of other more appropriate terms. Why shouldn’t Chan meet Jisoo, and vice versa? Haven’t you told Chan about Jisoo?”

He got an eye roll. “I did. It-“

“Didn’t end well,” he finished for her, reading her expression, and she nodded miserably. 

“Chan didn’t understand why I still wanted anything to do with him,” Jihyun sighed. “We had an argument of sorts, and we still haven’t resolved it.”

It had been an ugly morning, and he hadn’t spoken to her in three days, even waking up earlier than usual to leave the apartment before she woke up to avoid any awkward conversation. But when she woke up, her breakfast was still there on the table, freshly prepared. 

It wasn’t as though she couldn’t understand why Chan was mad. She knew he wasn’t mad at her needing to take care of Jisoo; he was mad at how their story had ended on such an ugly note, and how hurt she’d been. Heck, she was mad too. But she understood Jisoo, and she knew that he would have been as hurt as she was. He wasn’t the ultimate culprit; he was a victim too. 

“I don’t blame Chan, you know.”

Jihyun nodded. “I do. But he has to know that I know Jisoo better. And it’s my life; if I want to forgive Jisoo, that’s my own damn business.”

Jihoon tilted his head to one side. “What if Chan says it’s either him or Jisoo?”

Jihyun gave him a sweet, sweet smile that fooled no one. He knew that smile; it was her ‘I’m smiling but you’re dead’ smile. “Then, Ji, you best hope that you’ll arrive in time to bring him to the hospital. Otherwise, you’ll be one family member short next Chuseok.”

At 5pm sharp, she was out of her office chair, shocking Mingyu to the core. “Since when do you leave on time?” He hissed at her. “What is this, the end of the world?”

“If you can’t finish up your file due tomorrow morning by tonight, you’d better hope it will be before Mr. Lee grills your ass,” she replied smartly, and shot him a bright smile as she headed out of the office, to the shock of the rest of her colleagues.

Jung Jihyun never left on time. Never, as in never ever. Her workload was the subject of envy and sympathy among her colleagues, depending on whether they were aiming for career growth or satisfied with a stagnant and steady career. Her working hours were well known; before 9 and after 5, the complete opposite of those such as Kim Yejin. 

The journey home took far longer than usual, Jihyun realised, because of the number of people on the streets and waiting for the subway. Even as she walked into the grocery mart a few minutes away from her apartment, she couldn’t help sighing at the crowd inside. Apparently, this was when people did their grocery shopping. Chan was the one who normally did their grocery runs, for the simple reason that he was the main cook, and he didn’t spend his entire day in the office. 

But tonight, she was going to cook dinner for the both of them.

30 minutes later, she was in her kitchen, surrounded by the ingredients that she’d just bought. Chan normally left his office around 6 and would be home by 6.30, which gave her thirty minutes to get it all done. She rolled up her sleeves, and cracked her knuckles. “Right. Let’s do this.”

She hadn’t cooked in a while, and was pleasantly surprised when she realised that it all came back to her easily: how to slice an onion in the fastest and neatest way, how to season the chicken despite the time constraint, and everything else. Apparently, cooking was like riding a bike: you don’t really forget how to do it. 

She was focused on the simmering sauce in the pan, she didn’t hear the front door open, and missed the look of surprise on Chan’s face when he saw her in the kitchen. He stood there for a few seconds, torn between greeting her awkwardly and ignoring her, but she turned around and saw him before he could make a decision. “Hello,” she greeted warily, wooden spoon in her hand.

Why were they circling around each other like strangers? He sighed at the absurdity of it all. “Hello.”

“I’m cooking dinner,” she pointed her spoon at the number of pots and pans lying around the kitchen, as if it weren’t obvious. “I mean, if you want to.”

It was a peace offering, and he knew it, just like how he knew they really needed to talk about the white elephant in the room. The past few days hadn’t been easy on him too. “”Sure. I’ll just grab a quick shower first.”

When he came out from the bedroom, fresh from his shower, several dishes were already neatly arranged on the kitchen counter, and Jihyun was washing up at the sink. He couldn’t help smiling as he saw the dishes: black bean noodles, chicken with red pepper sauce, egg rolls - all of them his favourite. As Jihyun dried her hands and passed him a pair of chopsticks, he reminded himself that no matter how their talk went, she loved him. 

“It’s good,” he complimented. “I think this is the first time you’ve cooked for me.”

She smiled, taking a small bite of egg roll. “I got used to you taking care of me, it didn’t occur to me to reciprocate. I’ll do it more often if you want.”

“Where did you learn how to cook?” He asked carefully, knowing that it was an opening for her to talk about her past if she wanted to.

She took it. “When I was at the Hong household. Part of my responsibilities was to cook for Jisoo and his parents too, though the doctors only ever ate breakfast at home. They worked long hours.” Something about the sadness in her tone when she said the last sentence made him want to ask - was she close to them? - but he didn’t interrupt. 

“There was a grocery store inside the gated community, and Jisoo’s parents had placed me on the approved shoppers’ list, so I went there to pick up whatever we needed every week. The cashier there was an older woman, and once she found out that I was the one cooking and not another adult, she taught me some cooking tips and even passed me some recipes.” She dug into the egg roll, mind seemingly occupied with memories of her past. 

“Chan, I-“ she took a deep breath. “I know you’re against me getting close with Jisoo again. But I know Jisoo. It wasn’t the best approach, but I know why he felt like he had to. The man’s a selfless idiot, and always has been.”

So are you, Chan wanted to say. Instead, he said, “I just don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“I won’t,” she said automatically. “Look, I’m not a child who’s alone anymore. I have my own money, I have you, I have Jihoon. It’s different from...last time.” When she was left alone with empty pockets, struggling with two part-time jobs and maintaining her grades for her scholarship, with no one to lean on except herself. “I want Jisoo back in my life, but it’s different.”

“Can you answer me honestly, Hyun?”

She looked at him, eyes steady. “Sure.”

“Did you...” How was he supposed to phrase this? He tried again. “Was Jisoo your first love?”

Her eyes went blank a moment before they were filled with utter shock and horror. “What? No! No, ew!” She groaned. “That would be like dating Jihoon, ugh. No! Don’t tell me that was why you were worried?”

“It was part of it,” he muttered.

Jihyun snorted. “Ugh, no. Jisoo’s my brother, in every way but blood. And I know for a fact he sees me the same way.”

“Right.” A part of him felt relieved, but still - he wanted to meet the man for himself to see how accurate her claim was.

As though sensing his doubt, Jihyun leaned over and grabbed his hand, the first contact between them for three days. “Chan.” Her tone was reproachful and exasperated. “I love you.”

Just like that, his worried heart settled down. “I know.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Alright?” Before he could answer, she continued. “Look, Ji was telling me earlier today that we should all go out for a meal or drinks. You, me, him, Jisoo, probably Jeonghan and Seungcheol. How about I text him and give him the green light? Hopefully you’ll feel better once you get to know Jisoo more.”

“It’s alright, I’ll text Jihoon hyung.” He gave her a smile. “I’m glad we’re okay again.”

Her replying smile dazzled him. “Since when aren’t we?”

While Jihyun was in the bathroom, he dialled Jihoon’s number. “Hello?” A low voice purred into the phone, and all he could think was: that was most definitely not his cousin.

It took him a few seconds to finally be able to respond. “Um, hi.” His voice sounded hoarse, even to himself.

On the other side of the line, Hyeri chuckled, and he gulped at the sexy sound. Exactly how did his steadfast cousin deal with his girlfriend without combusting into flames?“Channie. Did you want to talk to Jihoon?”

“Um, yes.” 

He heard some rustling, and couldn’t help imagining the model settling herself on the bed, making herself more comfortable to talk to him - stop, he ordered himself. “Well, Jihoon’s in the bathroom right now, but he should be out in a while.”

“Oh, okay. It’s alright, I’ll call him back in-“

“Why the rush?” Hyeri purred. “We can talk while waiting, hm? After all, we haven’t talked in a while. We should catch up.”

“It was only two days,” he couldn’t help saying. 

Hyeri laughed. “Two days too much, in my opinion. So tell me, how is your spat with Jihyun going?”

He was regretting calling Jihoon instead of texting him like he said he would. Where was Jihoon when he needed him? “We-“

Luckily, he heard the man’s voice distinctly in the background. A moment later, Jihoon came to the phone. “Chan? Is everything okay?”

The relief in his heart was immense. “Yes, yes. I just wanted to talk about the gathering you were thinking of planning.”

“Does this mean you’ve made up with Hyun, then?” His cousin asked.

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

“Good, good.” Jihoon was silent for a while. “I sided with you, by the way.”

A laugh bubbled out of Chan. “Hyung...”

“I mean, I absolutely understand where you’re coming from,” Jihoon continued. “But I trust Hyun, and if she wants to give the man a second chance, all I can do is make sure that I’ll be there for her, no matter what.”

“Right.” All of a sudden, Chan felt slightly guilty for not thinking of it in that manner. He’d been so engrossed in worrying about Jihyun going back to Jisoo and getting hurt, he’d forgotten that he was supposed to stick by her and trust her decisions. What a boyfriend he was, he sighed inwardly. “Thanks, hyung.”

“I’ll send you the time and place after I talk to Jeonghan and Seungcheol. You haven’t met them before, right?” Jihoon asked.

“Jeonghan, no. I did see Seungcheol at the club that night, for Hyeri’s birthday. But we didn’t talk.”

“They’re good people,” Jihoon said simply. “I’ll let you know, Chan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	13. Chapter Twelve

From:  
Hi.  
Are you free tonight?

To:  
I should be but I’m not sure what time  
My working hours are kinda irregular   
Anything?

From:  
I was thinking maybe we could go out?  
I know we’re having that gathering tomorrow but I wanted to catch up with you alone first.

To:  
Oh.

From:  
It’s fine if you’re not comfortable with that.  
I just wanted to check 

To:  
Nono, it’s fine  
I was just surprised  
And I should have thought of it too  
Um, anytime after 7 is good for me

From:  
How about I pick you up at 7 then?

To:  
Alright  
Wait  
You know where my office is?

From:  
One can hardly miss Choi Industries   
It’s in the middle of everything

To:  
Makes sense  
Okay see you!

Unsurprisingly, Jihoon was still in his office when Jihyun knocked on his door at 7pm, Irene’s desk already empty. She walked in after hearing a faint ‘come in’. “Ji, is there anything else you need me for tonight?”

Jihoon didn’t look up from his computer, but she knew that in his mind, he was already going through the files and the deadlines due soon. “Nope, I’m good. You can leave if you don’t have anything else urgent to work on.”

“Kay. Bye! Not too late, alright?”

A grunt was his only reply.

The moment the elevator doors slid open revealing the ground floor lobby, she saw Jisoo sitting on one of the long leather couches on one side, doing something on his phone. “I hope I’m not late,” she greeted as she approached him.

Jisoo pocketed his phone instantly and gave her a warm smile that brought back memories of a younger Jisoo who was always smiling, a bubbly package of joy. “No, I only just arrived. Shall we?”

She followed him out of the building, and they strolled leisurely down the street. Jisoo seemed to know where they were heading, so Jihyun asked, “Do you already have a place in mind?”

“Yeah, it’s a cafe nearby. I’ve been there a few times; the food’s pretty good.” He suddenly stopped. “Wait, is there something else you want to go for? I forgot to ask you first...” He looked anxiously at her.

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Besides, you’re the picky eater, remember?”

Jisoo sniffed. “I’m not the one who doesn’t eat cucumber!”

“I stand corrected; you’re the one with horrible taste.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

Just like that, they fell back into the comfortable rhythm of bickering over small nothings with each other. 

When Jisoo stopped in front of a cafe, Jihyun was slightly surprised. “Oh, it’s this place!”

“You’ve been here before?” Jisoo held the door open for her as they walked in. Where it was brightly lit during lunch time, the lights were dimmed down to a comfortable warm hue for the night, soulful jazz music playing through the speakers.

“I had lunch with Jeonghan here few days ago,” she said. “The day he told me you wanted to talk.”

Jisoo chuckled softly, and Jihyun looked at him, puzzled. “Of course he brought you here.”

The waiter settled them into a table in a corner, and passed them the menus before walking away. ‘Of course he brought you here...’ “Is this Jeonghan’s favourite cafe?” She asked, still confused with the cryptic sentence.

“It’s mine, actually.” Jisoo looked around, his eyes content. “Most of the time, if I’m eating with Jeonghan, we’d come here.”

The waiter came back with a smile. “Are you ready to order, Mr. Hong?”

Jisoo hadn’t touched his menu, but he nodded. “I’ll get the pork cutlet rice and orange juice, please. Hyun?” He looked at her.

She quickly flipped through the menu. “Um, can I have the soufflé pancakes and, um...” Weird. She remembered Jeonghan ordering strawberry milk for both of them that day, but why couldn’t she find it in the menu? “I might be wrong, but do you have strawberry milk?” She asked cautiously, unsure if her memory was playing tricks on her or if they’d changed the menu.

The waiter looked surprised for a moment before beaming at her. “I remember now! You were here with Mr. Yoon for lunch a few days ago, weren’t you?”

“Um, yes?”

“Right,” the waiter said cheerfully. “Strawberry milk and soufflé pancakes for the lady it is. Let me know if-”

“Wait, wait,” Jihyun called the waiter before he could leave, “so you do have strawberry milk, but it’s not on the menu?”

“We only prepare strawberry milk for Mr. Yoon whenever he visits,” the waiter explained cheerfully. “And of course, for his guests! Other than that, it’s not a beverage we serve.”

“Oh.” The waiter left with their orders, but she wasn’t any more enlightened. If anything, she was even more confused. Was Jeonghan such a regular customer to the point where the cafe had a special menu just for him?

Jisoo seemed to understand her confusion. “Jeonghan’s the owner of this cafe.”

Well. That explained it. 

“So he owns a flower shop and a cafe?” She was surprised Jeonghan hadn’t mentioned it when they were here, but he probably had his own reasons. “That’s pretty impressive.”

Curiosity and interest flickered through Jisoo’s amber eyes for a moment, but they quickly disappeared. “Right. It is.”

As they waited for their food to be served, they chatted casually about their lives, asking the other questions and answering the questions in return. “So Chan is Jihoon’s cousin?” Jisoo asked.

“Yeah. Jihoon introduced us. I... I hope you’ll like him when you meet him tomorrow.” Jihyun said softly. Even though it wouldn’t matter if Jisoo disapproved of Chan - though there would be no reason to - a part of her yearned for his approval.

Sensing her conflict, Jisoo gently took her hand. “Hyun, I’m the one who hasn’t been by your side for the past few years. If anything, I should be the one hoping your boyfriend will approve of me coming back into your life.”

“He better,” she muttered, and he smiled.

“And Jihoon too. I owe them a lot, for taking such good care of you when I wasn’t there.” He squeezed her hand. “I know no matter how many times I say it, it would never be able to truly make up for it, but Hyun - I’m really, really sorry.”

She turned her hand around to grab his, seeking the warmth she needed and giving him the comfort he needed. They had always been each other’s comfort zone, each other’s home, and even after so many years of separation, the heart never forgot its querencia. “I know. I’m just glad you’re back.”

“I met Jeonghan in college,” Jisoo explained as he dug into his rice. “We were roommates, and when we got into the same university, we continued the arrangement. I guess we’ve been inseparable ever since. Also, the dumb idiot needs someone to look after him constantly.”

Jihyun laughed, enjoying her own pancakes, which were as good as she remembered them. “So he’s still your roommate now?”

Jisoo shook his head. “I do live nearby though. My place is closer to the hospital, so it’s easy for me to get to work. I just...stay at his place whenever I’ve had a shitty day.”

It had always been his habit to seek out comfort when he was down. When they were kids and Jisoo was unhappy - unfortunately, it happened more often than it should have - he’d always asked her to stay by his side while he slept. So she’d settle into the comfortable old armchair in the corner of his bedroom, with a book in hand and blanket on her lap, her quiet presence the only soother that managed to get him to fall asleep, even when it was fitful and restless.

There was an unspoken question in Jihyun’s eyes, one that he caught. “No, I don’t stay with my parents. But they’re still there.” They still stayed at the house that he grew up in, that would have been a lonely castle if not for the woman sitting across him now.

“I was surprised when you offered to meet up, actually,” Jihyun said softly. “I always thought that all doctors lived like your parents, with no time for their personal lives.”

Jisoo was silent for a moment. “The worst thing was realising that it was always a matter of choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and comments are appreciated :)


	14. Chapter Thirteen

“Thanks for breakfast.” Jihyun smacked her lips loudly against Chan’s cheek. “I’ll see you tonight at the pizza place, okay?” Chan grabbed her face in his hands, and planted one on her lips, making her giggle. “Babe! I’m going to be late!”

“Only because you want to be at the office earlier than normal people,” he pointed out dryly. “Stay safe, baby. Text me-“

“When I get to the office, I know.” She gave him a final hug before skipping out of the apartment.

His phone buzzed while he was getting himself a second cup of coffee, and he frowned. Did Jihyun forget something? Pulling it out, his eyes widened as he read the message.

Should he? Should he not?

Before he could make up his mind, his fingers were already flying across they keyboard, and the reply was sent before he could regret it. 

*****

“Are you nervous?” Jihoon asked as they got out of his car a few blocks away from the pizza place where they were going to meet up with the rest.

She mulled it over. “A little, I guess. But I know it’s going to be fine.” I really hope it’s going to be fine, she prayed fervently in her mind. 

Where Chan was overprotective, Jihoon was even more so, even though it was always subtly shown. She knew that he would have already grilled Seungcheol to find out everything he could about Jisoo, and while it irked her that she couldn’t do anything without him wanting to check it out first, it also warmed her heart to know that he was looking out for her. It didn’t hurt that she knew that Jihoon would never forbid her from doing anything she wanted, even if he knew how it was going to end.

There was an incident in university where she’d followed her roommate to a frat party, desperate to get rid of the stress from their exams, despite Jihoon’s disapproval. As predicted, she’d gotten so tipsy she had no idea how she’d managed to find her way back to her dorm all the way across campus without her roommate, who had found someone to spend the night with. Jihoon had been waiting inside her dorm - he’d never told her how he managed to sneak past the dorm supervisor or how he’d gotten into her dorm without a key - and had said nothing as he held her hair back while she threw everything, including her stomach lining, up into the toilet bowl. He’d force fed some water and soup into her before she fell into a deep sleep, and he’d carefully used a wet towel to clean her face, hands, and feet. When she finally woke up at noon the next day, he was sitting at her study table, reading through his notes, a bowl of hangover soup on her bedside table. For the rest of the day, while she felt like absolute shit, her body trying its best to flush out the alcohol from her system, he was there, taking care of her. And not once did he ever say ‘I told you so’.

That was Jihoon. 

Seungcheol was Jihoon’s roommate in university, but Jihyun had never met him until she started working for the man. She still remembered the interview she had with him, still remembered how the man who’d just lost his father a few weeks ago had to forcibly hide his grief, had to put on a facade of stone to ensure the survival of his father’s legacy. 

“Jihoon speaks of you highly,” Seungcheol commented, flipping through her resume. “But I hope you know it doesn’t mean I’m going to give you the job without looking at your qualifications.”

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t,” she responded. “And the feeling is mutual. I hold Jihoon in very high regard.”

After a few common questions - her experience, her goals - Seungcheol switched track. “Jihoon always mentioned you when we were back in uni. It was so rare for him to be talking about any girl, I thought that the both of you were dating.” 

Unable to help herself, she crinkled her nose in distaste, and Seungcheol took note of it, amused. “I suppose I’m not the first one to suggest that.”

“His parents thought so too,” she muttered, remembering the dinner, and Seungcheol chuckled. “Mr. Choi...”

“Seungcheol, please.”

“Seungcheol. Jihoon and I don’t see each other that way, nor will we ever see each other that way. I suppose you’ve heard that we’re scarily similar?” Seungcheol nodded. Although he wasn’t in the law faculty, he had heard the gossips about the duo, especially when it came to work ethics, attitudes, and personalities. However, Jihyun had yet to achieve the title of ‘Grinch’ among her juniors - that was a Jihoon-exclusive trait, something everyone was grateful for. “We mirror each other, literally.” Jihyun explained. “Even I don’t know how the universe works, and I most definitely have no idea why it decided to let two people who are almost exact replicas of each other meet, but I think we met for the sole purpose of making the other a better person. Not to date. Most definitely not to date.” 

“Pity,” Seungcheol murmured, and saw the woman grimace. “I’m joking, I’m joking,” he laughed before his eyes softened. “But I am glad he has someone to care for him.” 

“There’s Chan,” Jihoon said, pulling her back into the present. She looked up to see her boyfriend leaning against the wall of the pizzeria. 

“We’re not late!” Jihyun called out as they approached. Chan looked up and a smile broke out on his face. 

“For once,” he whispered into her hair as she was pulled into a hug.

Being smushed against her boyfriend’s chest, she couldn’t see Jihoon, but she felt the man roll his eyes. “Stop with the PDA, and let’s go in.”

“Hyung, Hyeri’s not joining?” Chan asked as they entered the warm pizzeria, where they were immediately assaulted by the heavenly scent of baking dough and cheese. 

Jihoon led them towards a table, where the other three were already seated. “No, she has a photoshoot tonight. It’s just us, kiddo.”

Seungcheol noticed them first, and gave his signature gummy grin. “Finally!”

“We’re not late,” Jihoon retorted as they sat down. 

“Right, right, we’re early,” Seungcheol returned good-naturedly. “We got three large pizzas to share. Anyone a vegetarian?”

Jihyun shook her head and took the Coke Jeonghan handed her. “Hello,” he greeted, his eyes questioning as he gauged her reaction.

“I’m not mad at you,” she whispered, answering the unspoken question, and relief flooded his face. She truly wasn’t; Jeonghan hadn’t done anything wrong. If it were fated, she would have met Jisoo sooner or later anyway. 

Besides, how did anyone ever manage to get mad at that angelic face? 

“Chan, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Jisoo,” Jihoon was making the introductions across the table, and the men nodded at each other, but the table went silent after that.

Seungcheol spoke up first. “Right! So, does anyone have any awkward questions they want to get out of the way first?”

Jihyun banged her head against the table. “Save me,” she muttered to no one in particular. 

Jeonghan patted her shoulder as he snickered. Being one of the two people who weren’t there purely because they were concerned about her, he was much more at ease than half of them present. “Cheol, that’s not the way to do this.” The words were meant to be chiding, but he didn’t manage to mask the glee in his tone. 

“But why?” Seungcheol asked, baffled. “Isn’t that why we’re here? So that they can get more acquainted with each other?”

“Well, he isn’t wrong,” Jisoo said in his soft-spoken manner. “I’m only familiar with Jeonghan here.”

“Hey!” Jihyun and Seungcheol chorused indignantly. 

Jisoo held up his hands as a show of peace. “I don’t hang out with Seungcheol much, though Jeonghan does talk about him a lot,” he explained. Jihyun felt Jeonghan’s hand on her shoulder stiffen for a bit, before he resumed his comforting pats. Interesting. The question that she’d had the night they’d went out drinking now came back to her, clearer than before. But this wasn’t the time, nor the place, to look for the answer, even though she could already guess what it would be.

“And even though I’d say I know Jihyun well,” those soft brown eyes turned to her, “I haven’t spent time with her for the past few years. I can’t say for certain that the Jihyun I know is the same Jihyun now.”

“That’s your fault, isn’t it?” Chan asked, his voice even. Jihyun sneaked a hand over to grab his under the table, and squeezed warningly. Behave, she warned in her mind. Chan seemed to get the message, and he didn’t say anything else.

Jisoo didn’t even blink. “It is,” he agreed. “And I’ve already apologised to her, multiple times, even though it may never be enough. But regardless of the relationship between her and any of you here tonight,” he looked around the table, “it’s between the both of us. So as long as she forgives me, that’s the only thing that matters.”

“Fair enough,” Jihoon said, after processing Jisoo’s mini speech. “I’ll accept that. But fair warning,” he pointed at Jisoo with his Coke bottle in hand, “if you do anything to make her unhappy, you’ll be getting your ass handed to you, even though you’re Jeonghan’s best friend.”

Jeonghan merely waved his own Coke bottle airily. “I’ll join you, Jihoon, don’t worry.”

“Shouldn’t that be directed at the boyfriend?” Seungcheol asked, amused. 

“Jihoon hyung gave me a far longer and scarier version of the speech when I first started dating Jihyun,” Chan assured Seungcheol, who snorted. 

The freshly baked pizzas were delivered, a warm welcome after the end of the earlier awkwardness. As they dug into the cheesy goodness, small talk was made in all directions. 

“How was she in college?” That was Jisoo to Jihoon. Jihyun sent Jihoon a warning glare, which he pointedly ignored. However, she knew she hadn’t messed up much, so she wasn’t too worried about what Jihoon could tell Jisoo.

As Jisoo listened to Jihoon describing their college life, Jihyun spotted a wistful look in his eyes, and she understood exactly why. It could have been him camping out with her at the libraries until 2 in the morning, it could have been him making sure she still remembered to eat before exams, it could have been him listening to her rant about her lazy teammates when they had presentations. 

They’d missed out on so much together. 

She turned to Jeonghan. “How was Jisoo like in college?”

“Busy,” Jeonghan answered simply. “He graduated top of his year, did you know that?”

She shook her head, but wasn’t surprised. Jisoo had always excelled academically. Most people assumed it was because he was smart. He was, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have to work for his grades. And he worked hard; she could testify to that, remembering all their long study sessions. 

“He was quite the elegant and perfect gentleman, too. He met my parents once, and my mother couldn’t get enough of him. ‘Joshua has such beautiful manners’, ‘Joshua held the door open for me’, so on and so forth. She went on about how Shua was raised right by his parents, but...” Jeonghan looked at her knowingly. “Knowing everything now, I don’t think it was his parents.”

“I never really had to teach him proper manners,” Jihyun said with a small smile, indirectly confirming Jeonghan’s thoughts. “Even as a kid, he knew that he should hold the door open for me, even when I could do it myself. He knew that he should always be polite to anyone he met, regardless of how idiotic the person was. I just fine-tuned what was already there, I guess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that a fanfic of the members with original characters would not be most carats’ first choice, so if you’re still reading please know that I really appreciate you. Leave a comment below! :)


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Jihyun had been out of the office, overseeing a meeting at one of the business offices under Choi Industries, when she nearly ran into a man the moment she walked out of the office building. “I’m so sorry,” she apologised, looking down at her files to make sure nothing had slipped out. “I wasn’t looking, and-“

“Jihyun?”

“Jeonghan?”

“What are you doing here?” Both of them asked at the same time, and laughed. 

“I had a meeting,” Jihyun pointed at the building behind her. “But I’m heading back in a while; I was just going to grab something to eat from the convenience store before I grab a cab.”

Jeonghan tutted, clearly disapproving of her plan to settle lunch in the most convenient way. “How about you join us for lunch?” It was only then Jihyun realised there was another man standing beside Jeonghan.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you earlier!” She held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Jung Jihyun.”

“Lee Seokmin.” The man gave her a small bow as he shook her hand. His face looked like a Greek sculpture, Jihyun couldn’t help admiring, especially with the tall nose and sharp jawline.

“Seokmin works at Spring with me,” Jeonghan added. “We were heading off to lunch after checking out an event location. Right, Min?”

“Right,” Seokmin said without missing a beat.

“Come on, let’s go for lunch.” Jeonghan grabbed her files, and stuffed them into Seokmin’s already-ready arms before she could even say ‘hey’. “We’ll drop you back later.”

“I was really just going to grab a kimbap from the convenience store,” Jihyun grumbled half-heartedly as she took a big bite of her ramen. “Instead, I get this made from scratch, absolutely amazing ramen.”

“What a tough life,” Jeonghan replied sarcastically, slurping up his own ramen. “I can’t believe how much you have to suffer.”

She glared at him, and he snickered.

As they were leaving the ramen place, Jeonghan sent Seokmin a look, and Seokmin wordlessly nodded, getting the message. “I’ll meet you at the car,” he informed them before going off in the opposite direction. Jeonghan shrugged innocently and tilted his head to one side. “Come on, the car’s a few blocks away. We can walk off our lunch.”

“Thanks for lunch,” Jihyun told him, satisfied. “It’s a really good place. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it before. I should come back with Chan sometimes.”

“Speaking of Chan...” Jeonghan’s footsteps slowed, and she followed suit, confused. “Isn’t that him across the road?”

She looked in the direction Jeonghan was referring to, and scanned the small crowd. Sure enough, there he was, back towards them as he looked into a storefront window, looking at...

“Engagement rings,” Jeonghan said, interest apparent in his tone. “Is there something you’re not telling me, Jihyun?”

“I don’t know,” she whispered, half to herself. 

Was Chan planning on proposing?

They’d been dating for 2 years, and at their age, it wouldn’t be surprising if Chan proposed. But they’d never discussed getting married. Wasn’t it something that should be discussed between them first? She didn’t even know if he wanted kids. Did she want kids?

Jeonghan sensed her inner turmoil, and placed a hand on her shoulder, concerned. “Hey. Don’t freak out. Talk to him before jumping to any conclusions, alright?”

“Right.” They’d stopped in front of a modest sedan, and Jeonghan opened the shotgun door for her. She slipped in while murmuring her thanks, and he went around to get into the driver seat. 

“I’m serious; don’t jump to any conclusions,” Jeonghan repeated, starting to worry.

“You do realise if he wasn’t looking at engagement rings for us, we have a problem, right?” Jihyun said dryly. Jeonghan relaxed fractionally; if she could find it in herself to be witty, she was fine, or at least getting there.

The back door opened, and Seokmin folded his long frame into the backseat. “Hey. I’m good, let’s go.”

The drive to Choi Industries was silent, mostly because Jihyun was still preoccupied with the scene she just witnessed, and Jeonghan knew that she wasn’t in the mood to chat. When the car slid smoothly to the curb in front of the familiar building, she shook her head to clear it and turned to Jeonghan. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Anytime. I’ll see you for lunch again soon, okay?” His eyes were warm as they looked at her. “And text me if you need to talk.”

“Will do.” She smiled, and turned to open the car door. 

“Wait, wait!” Jeonghan reached to the back, and took a small plastic bag from Seokmin before passing it to her. 

“What’s-“

“See you!” Jeonghan and Seokmin waved and drove off, leaving her bewildered in front of the building, holding a mysterious bag. Curiously, she tugged the knot open, and an exasperated laugh burst out when she saw the convenience store kimbap sitting innocently in the bag. 

“Yoon Jeonghan,” she muttered, half amused and half touched, her mind temporarily off a possible proposal in the near future. 

For the rest of the day, she worked, she ate the kimbap, she worked again. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Chan and any future they could have. 

Did she want to marry Chan? Sure, they were dating. But did she want to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him? She didn’t see why not; the man was an amazing boyfriend and would be an amazing husband. Also, she loved him. So why was she so afraid?

“Maybe because the future is unknown?”

“What?” She looked up blearily to see Mingyu leaning over the divider, with a concerned look on his face.

“You’ve been muttering nonstop about a proposal and being scared. I’m not dumb,” he rolled his eyes when he saw Jihyun open her mouth as if to say ‘you are sometimes’ but swallowed it back, “I can do 1+1, and that’s 2. So is Chan thinking of proposing?”

“I don’t know.” She told him about the earlier incident, and he pursed his lips thoughtfully. 

“Well, the reasonable conclusion would be yes, he’s planning on proposing. You’re afraid that he’s going to propose?”

“I’m not,” she replied automatically before catching herself. “Okay, maybe I am, a little. We’ve never discussed getting married. I didn’t know he was planning to!”

Mingyu shot her a dry look. “You’ve been dating for two years. You stay together. Common sense dictates that the next logical step would be getting married.”

“I know, but-“

“Look,” he interrupted her, “you stressing over this isn’t going to go anywhere. Whether or not you’re going to accept, think about it first before discussing it with him. Otherwise, you’re heading into a discussion where you have no idea what you want the outcome to be, and as Mr. Lee always says, you would have lost from the very beginning.”

“This isn’t a business deal,” she muttered.

“No, it’s not. It’s the deal of your life, Jihyun.” Mingyu smiled at her. “Think about it first. Can I say something else?”

“Sure.”

“The shop you saw him in front of, we both know it’s not going to be cheap. So my guess is, if my man’s determined on proposing with a top notch ring, he’s been saving up and would probably be working harder to cushion his ring fund. If you’re thinking of refusing, do it before he splurges all that money on the rock.”

“I’m not going to refuse,” she said in a small voice.

Mingyu raised his palms up. “I wouldn’t judge. Marriage isn’t for everyone. I’m just saying, think about it first, and discuss it with him as soon as you get to a conclusion.”

Eyes narrowed, she looked at her colleague. “You’re making a whole lot of sense today, Mingyu.”

“Wonwoo’s influence,” he replied proudly. “My boyfriend’s a wise, wise man.”

She had to agree. Wonwoo always reminded her of an owl; quiet, wise, and cool. Although she never knew what he saw in Mingyu, who was the exact opposite, she’d seen enough of the loving looks passed between the both of them when they thought no one was looking to know that regardless of their differences, it was true love.

Two hours later later, she got her answer.

“Come in.” Jihoon called out at the knock on his office door.

She slipped into Jihoon’s office, and sat down quietly at one of the chairs in front of his table, waiting for him to turn around, which he did after a few seconds. “Hyun?”

“Ji, can you assign me more files?”

Jihoon blinked at her. “More files? What, have you finished the ones on your table already?”

“I’ll get them all to you on time,” she replied, slightly impatiently. “Can you assign me more files, please?”

They both knew giving her more files wasn’t an issue; with the company still rapidly growing, the number of files on Jihoon’s table waiting to be assigned only went higher on a daily basis. Jihyun had always met all the deadlines regardless of her workload too. The only question was... “Why?” Jihoon asked, his gaze serious. “No bullshit, Hyun, give me the truth.”

She knew it was pointless to lie to Jihoon; the man knew her better than she knew herself. So she told him. “I need the bonuses, Ji.”

“If it’s money you need, you know I’d always give you a loan. But are you in trouble?”

Jihyun shook her head. “It’s not like that. I... I think Chan’s planning on proposing.”

He just waited patiently for her to continue. 

“And I was thinking that I wanted to pay for his share of the rent for the next few months. Secretly,” she added. “Because if he is, I know it’s going to take some money for whatever plans he may have, and the ring, and the wedding after that. And you know his pride; he’d let me contribute a small part, but he wouldn’t be okay if I offered to share the burden outright.”

Jihoon did know his cousin, and he agreed; pride was a family trait, and he himself felt the same. “I didn’t know he was planning on proposing.”

“I didn’t either,” she ran her hands through her hair frustratedly. “That’s the thing. But if he is, I really want to ease the burden on him, even if it’s just by paying his share of the rent. Hence the extra bonuses.”

Jihoon debated on whether to tell her that she was already going to get a whopping huge bonus in a few months, but decided against it; Jihyun obviously wanted a solution now, and as happy as the news would make her, it wasn’t the news she needed now. “Alright.”

Surprised, she look at him. “Alright?” Apparently, she hadn’t expected him to agree. 

“Sure.” Jihoon shrugged. “But the moment you miss one single deadline, I’m taking the files away from you.”

“That won’t happen,” Jihyun assured him, and he knew it wouldn’t. Regardless of the circumstances, the responsible side of her never failed. “Thanks, Ji.”

“You do know that it means more long hours and less time with Chan?” He looked at her, and from her set lips, he could see that she’d already thought about the consequences and had decided to go ahead with it regardless. A small flicker of pride warmed his heart, and he prayed to whoever was listening that it would all go right for his cousin, and this woman who was his sister in every way but blood. “Alright. I’ll pass them to you tomorrow.”


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Jihyun woke up to a soft kiss on her temple. “Happy anniversary, baby.”

Mumbling nonsensically, she turned around and snuggled into the warm chest. “Happy anniversary.”

As she lathered shampoo through her hair, her mind was elsewhere. Deadline for the ETC Tech file at 10am, complete. Meeting with the new managers at Daisy at 12pm, prepared. Deadline for Healing Inc’s file at 2pm, done, but give it a final check just in case. Deadlines for 247 and Focus’s employment contracts at 4pm, done. Dinner with Chan tonight. Tomorrow morning at 10, meeting with the proprietors for Choi Industries’ newest land acquisition, prepared for... on and on the list went as she carefully went over her schedule, planning her to-do list of the day.

But, she reminded herself, it stopped at 5pm today, no matter what. She’d already told Jihoon that no matter what mess happened after 5pm today, she would only deal with it tomorrow. Because she had her anniversary dinner tonight.

And it was also the night which had the highest probability of Chan proposing to her.

Ever since she and Jeonghan saw Chan looking at engagement rings, which was five months ago, Chan had never mentioned anything about their future. Despite her earlier bravado to raise the issue, she’d chickened out, and in the end they never talked about it. 

For the past 5 months, she’d been taking on as many files as she could handle, and when she stayed in the office past 10pm on certain nights, she realised possibly more files than she could handle. But the satisfaction in getting a bigger pay check every month and being able to secretly refund the money Chan paid to her every month for his share for the rent without suffering too much was immense. As tired and worn out as she was, she just gritted her teeth and soldiered on, telling herself it would all be worth it, so long as Chan wasn’t having a hard time. 

The most surprising thing was probably Chan being completely understanding of her heavy workload, despite not knowing the reason behind it. Although he had always been supportive, there were times where he’d be upset over her missing too many dates - which she understood and always tried her best to make up for it. But now, she could come home at 11pm three days in a row and he’d just be quietly waiting for her in the living room, watching a movie or working on his own stuff. No unhappiness, no guilt-tripping, nothing. She would be worried if not for the fact that she understood that her boyfriend was being considerate and giving her the space she needed; truthfully, she was relieved that he was accepting of her workaholic tendencies, and it just cemented her determination to say yes when he finally popped the question. 

When she walked into the kitchen, the familiar glass bottle was on the counter, already filled with Chan’s brand of strawberry milk made with love, along with a bento box in the shade of rose quartz and serenity, her favourite colour combo. Chan’s too, though he never admitted it outright. 

The said man in question smiled at her from the couch in the living room, where he had his phone in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. “I guessed that you’d need to be in the office early, so I put it into the bento. If you’re not, you can just eat it here.” He set down his phone, and patted his lap welcomingly. 

She shuffled her to-do list a little, and shrugged. “I can spare a few minutes,” she said nonchalantly, grabbing the bento and sitting down in Chan’s lap. Content, she leaned her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. “This is my favourite spot in the whole wide world,” she told him. 

Chan put an arm around her, closing her in. “Open the bento, baby.”

She carefully pried open the blue lid, and gasped. There was a small roll of kimbap, an egg sandwich, a chocolate doughnut, and two mochi in a pretty shade of bluish purple. “Chan, this is so...” she was at a loss for words. 

Another kiss on her hair. “One mochi is filled with mashed taro, so it’ll look like the galaxy. Another is filled with strawberries and cream. I hope you like it.”

“I already do!” She hugged him tightly, careful so as not to upturn the bento. “But they’re so pretty; I don’t think I can eat them.”

A rumble in his chest was his answer. “Eat them,” he chuckled. “I’ll make them for you whenever you want, baby.”

“I’ll bring them to work and show them off,” she informed him gleefully. “But before that...” She placed the bento on the kitchen counter, and bounded off into the bedroom as he watched, amused. 

She came back with a package carefully wrapped in dark green paper and tied with a white ribbon, which she handed to him. “My gift didn’t take as much effort as yours did,” she said, a little guiltily, “but I still hope you like it.” Leaning down, she kissed him on the cheek before grabbing all her stuff and heading out of the apartment. “I’m sorry I have to go now, but I’ll see you tonight!”

*****

It was 4.30pm, and Jihyun was not expecting to be pissed to the point where she would have flipped a table if she could. Maybe flip Kim Mingyu, even. But she was.

“What do you mean you lost it?” She asked, her voice cold. 

In front of her, the intern cowered as she answered in trembling tones, “I-I-I don’t know, Ms. Jung. I put the file on my desk and I was going to come back to discuss it with you, but I couldn’t find it anymore after I came back from lunch.”

“Younghee,” and the girl winced at the ice in her senior’s tone, “How exactly does one lose an entire file?”

“I-I-I’m really sorry,” Younghee whispered. “Ms. Jung, I’m willing to work overtime to get the file ready by tomorrow morning for the meeting, I really am-“

“Younghee, it’s not simply a matter that can be resolved by printing out everything from our databases.” Jihyun continued coldly. “There are original copies of the contracts inside. We would need to get the other party to sign new copies, and how do we do that? By telling them we lost their file, ultimately showing them how incompetent-“ she spat out the word, “we are? And how about the confidentiality issues? You think you lost the file in this office. Who knows what really happened? What if a random person finds it, and sells it off as useful information to our competitors?”

Tears started rolling down the younger girl’s cheeks, both from Jihyun’s cold tone and the realisation of the potential implications she could have caused. “Ms. Jung, I’m truly sorry-“

“At this point, your apologies are useless, Younghee. And that’s the stark reality of this situation you’ve put us in.” Jihyun sighed, and checked her watch. Damn it, 25 minutes to 5. She did some calculations in her mind, apologised in advance to Chan, and turned back to her intern. “Wipe those tears. Go search for the file again, and ask the other interns to help you out. Comb through every single inch of this floor, you hear me? Report back once you’re done.” The intern nodded, and ran off. “This is an absolute shitstorm,” Jihyun muttered as she pulled out her phone to send a quick text.

To:  
Baby, I’ll meet you at the restaurant at 7  
You don’t have to pick me up  
I love you  
Can’t wait

Without waiting for a reply, she tossed her phone onto her desk, and turned to Mingyu, who had been watching the entire scene. “I haven’t seen Scary Jihyun in a while,” he commented,

“You’ll be seeing Scarier Lee Jihoon if we don’t solve this,” she told him curtly. “Mingyu, do me a favour. Go to the security room and check the CCTV footage for Younghee’s desk from this morning. You can’t miss the file; it’s pink and thick.” She held her thumb and forefinger apart to indicate the size, and Mingyu nodded. “If Younghee said it was on her desk before lunch, it probably was, so check out what happened and where on earth did it go. After that,” she hesitated, but went ahead in a lower voice, “check out Kim Yejin and her cronies’ desks.”

Mingyu wasn’t even surprised by the request. They had no conclusive proof, but knowing Kim Yejin’s tendency to intentionally mess with Jihyun’s work, it was better to be safe than sorry. “On it. What are you going to do?”

She was already on the intercom with Irene. “Please tell him it’s urgent. Okay, I’m coming.”

“Jihyun, you have a dinner date. Anniversary dinner.” Mingyu hissed at her. He would know; after all, the fashion plate was the one who’d went shopping with her for Chan’s gift, a gorgeous navy blue tie that Mingyu insisted was a wardrobe necessity.

“I can make it if I leave by 6, 6.15 at most,” she told him. “If not, I’ll leave behind instructions. Don’t worry, I won’t be late.”

“What’s wrong?” Jihoon asked the moment she walked into his office. Without wasting any time, she gave him a summarised update, but left out her request to Mingyu on checking her colleagues’ tables. His eyes darkened at the seriousness of the situation. 

“I’ll be printing out the scanned copies of the signed agreements that we have, and everything else,” Jihyun told him. “In case we can’t find it by tonight, we’ll have to make do with the copies for tomorrow’s meeting. I don’t think the proprietors will want to look at the originals, but if they do, I’ll give them the ‘they’re kept in a safe location’ talk.”

“If we can’t find the originals?” Jihoon asked her, knowing she would have already had a backup plan. 

“We tell them there’s a change of terms. Not an amendment that would merely require them to initial the amendment, but a whole change of terms. As to the change...” she rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I’ll get back to you.”

Jihoon ran through the various scenarios in his mind, and agreed that that was the safest plan for now. “Update me.”

She was already walking out of his office. She spotted the interns looking around the office for the file, and Kim Mingyu was nowhere to be seen. Checking her watch, it showed 10 minutes until 5. She went back to her desk, and pretended to occupy herself with some work while she waited. 

The moment the clock turned 5, more than half of the office started packing up and headed towards the elevators. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kim Yejin and her buddies doing the same, laughing and chatting as they left the office. She gave it 15 more minutes, and carefully snuck towards Kim Yejin’s table. Luckily, the area was empty save for one table, whose owner was too busy to pay her any attention. 

The table was easy to search, for the simple reason that Yejin only had a quarter of the number of files she did. A simple look told her that no, her file wasn’t here. She looked at the locked drawers, debated the possibilities, and pulled out a hairpin from her pocket, getting to work on the lock. No one was more surprised than she was when the lock popped open in a few seconds, and she pulled out the drawers silently, one by one.

Not there either. Damn it.

“Is it here?”

She turned around to see Mingyu standing there. “No,” she told him, frustrated. Have you checked the security footage?”

Those dark eyes went flat. “Yeah. As you suspected, Kim Yejin took the file. The dumbass probably never thought you’d check the CCTV footage; she just waltzed over, grabbed the file, and left. But I don’t know who has it now; the cameras didn’t show who she passed it to. When she went back to her table, her hands were already empty.”

“Okay.” She’d have time to deal with the unhinged woman later. Jihoon stood up, and gestured to the few desks near to Yejin’s. “Check their desks, and let me know if it’s there.”

She walked over to the interns’ desks, where Younghee was frantically ruffling through boxes of files. “Younghee.”

The girl stood up quickly. “Ms. Jung, I’m sorry, we still haven’t found it.”

“Don’t tell the others to stop looking. But for now, go print out everything in the database for this file. The scanned agreements, the scanned bank documents, the lease, everything. Put it in another pink file, and put it on my desk when you’re done. Got it?”

The intern nodded, eyes wide open. “I’ll get started!”

“Right,” Jihyun mumbled to herself as she looked around the area, and spotted the camera that showed a direct shot of the interns’ desks. 

So Yejin came here, took the file, but no cameras caught her until she went back to her desk, where she didn’t have the file anymore. It was a short distance from the interns’ desk to Yejin’s table - 50 metres at most. So now she had to look for the blind spots along that route. Trust the dumb woman to be caught on camera for stealing her file, but not for hiding it. 

The direct path was out of the equation; she could see a camera that would have gotten a clear shot. A detour means to the right. Jihyun started walking, looking around and taking note of the cameras, switching directions whenever she saw one, until she finally made it back to Yejin’s desk.

Weird. The route wouldn’t have passed any of Yejin’s buddies’ desks. As much as she wasn’t close with the rest of her colleagues, she doubted that the ones whose desks she passed by had probable cause to want to sabotage her career by teaming up with the Wicked Witch. There was competition, sure, but it was friendly. So where was the file? Had Yejin hidden it on an unsuspecting colleague’s desk? She retraced the route again, quickly scanning the desks she passed by, and coming up empty. 

Unless...

Her eyes slid to the room in the corner. Mr. Kang Il Song, one of the managers who overlooked a smaller team of legal counsels in the department. He was easily 10 years Jihoon’s senior, and had always made his disapproval of Jihoon known, despite the obvious fact that Jihoon was far more qualified than him to lead the department. Surely the file wasn’t inside?

At this point, she had nothing to lose. Slipping yet another hairpin out from her pocket, she picked the lock, and within seconds she was inside the dark room.

Unlike Jihoon’s room, Kang Il Song’s room seemed to reflect its owner’s status in life; a man who was too focused on hating his colleagues for getting promotions while he didn’t, and refused to reflect on himself. It was dreary, it was dull, and it was depressing. She switched on the table lamp, refusing to risk being caught by any of her colleagues still in the office by turning on the main light, though that particular area of the office was void of human presences. 

“That explains the stagnant careers,” she muttered to herself, eyes skimming through the files on the table, and stopping on a particularly thick yellow one. Her file was pink, but it was rare that they had files this thick in their department, when the usual practice was to use a second file in the same colour and tied to the first when they had too many documents. The only reason she hadn’t yet opened a second file was because she had no time, hence her overly thick file that always stood out on her desk. So this yellow file was suspicious indeed.

Carefully, she lifted the cover of the yellow file, revealing a pink file with her initials written at the bottom. “Found you!” She sighed in relief, and pulled it out of the stack without disturbing the other files. A quick flip through confirmed that everything was inside. “Damn it, how do I tell Ji this?” 

She took a look at her watch, and growled. It was 5 minutes to 6. She had to leave now; explaining could wait. She locked the office from the inside and sneaked out, heading over to her desk and stuffing the file into her tote before grabbing it. While she headed out to the elevators, she sent Mingyu a quick text, telling him she’d found the file and that she’d tell him everything tomorrow. She then sent Younghee a text to call off the search, and to stop with the compiling. After a moment of deliberation, she sent a follow up text: I’ll meet you at the Starbucks opposite the meeting place tomorrow at 8. Don’t be late.

Now, as she looked at the jammed up road in front of Choi Industries, she hoped she wouldn’t be. 

*****

By some stroke of luck, she managed to arrive at the restaurant at a quarter to 7. The server informed her that Chan wasn’t there yet, but settled her down at the reserved table and passed her a beautifully decorated menu before leaving with a small bow. 

The lights were turned down low in the restaurant, giving it a romantic vibe that certainly attracted couples, judging from how most of the tables here were filled by people looking at their dinner date with heart-shaped eyes. Unfortunately for her, the romantic lighting was hindering her ability to read the menu. Jihyun was severely shortsighted, and although she had her contact lenses on, they were starting to irritate her eyes from the long hours of use, and she was practically squinting at the menu as she tried to read it.

“Hey.” A kiss landed on her hair, and she looked up in time to see her boyfriend smiling at her as he sat down across her. “I’m sorry I’m late; it as hell trying to find parking.” Suddenly, the happiness in his eyes was replaced by concern. “Why are you blinking nonstop? Are your eyes too dry?”

“A little.” She resisted the urge to rub them. “It’s fine, but I can’t really read the menu,” she admitted sheepishly.

“I’ll read it out to you.”

Listening to Chan’s soft voice reading out the items on the menu was...soothing. Perhaps she should start asking him to read her bedtime stories. “I’ll get the salmon,” she told him.

“Sure.” As if he’d read their minds, the server appeared and efficiently took their orders before disappearing again. Chan turned to her, and smiled again; she distinctly wondered how amazing it was to not be tired of seeing her boyfriend smile, even after years of looking at him. It was one of her most favourite sights in the world.

However, right now, her sight was starting to go blurry around the edges. With a few fierce blinks, the world was clear again, but she knew it wasn’t going to work for long. Sighing, she grabbed her bag and stood up. “I need to go put some eye drops in,” she told Chan. “Give me a moment.”

The washroom was as elegantly decorated as the rest of the restaurant. Standing in front of the white-and-gold gilded mirror, she carefully dropped two of the soothing eye drops into each eye. Catching her reflection in the mirror, she stopped to look at herself for a moment. “You’re ready to say yes,” she told herself. “Don’t overthink it.”

A part of her distinctly wondered whether she was truly ready if she needed to forcibly remind herself of it, but that part was roughly shoved away by the bigger part of her brain that told her definitively that she was more than ready to marry the man who’d read her a menu just because her eyes were tired.

The food was amazing, the company was superb. She didn’t know how they’d started talking about how they first met, but she laughed as she listened to Chan recall their first meeting. “I didn’t know Jihoon hyung was going to bring a girl with him,” Chan told her. “The moment I saw you, I was thinking to myself, ‘I need to know her more’, and also, ‘please don’t be Jihoon’s girlfriend’.”

“You were so quiet,” she teased. “Even Jihoon was surprised at how shy you were that night. Where was noisy Chan that night, huh?”

“Working up the courage to ask you for your number,” he sniffed. 

“In the end I asked for yours first anyway!” She giggled, remembering the surprise and embarrassed blush on the man’s face when she had. “But to be honest, at that time when I asked for your number, it was simply because I wanted to make sure you had someone else other than Jihoon in the city if you needed anything.”

“Caring, as always.”

“I was not expecting,” she continued, her tone still teasing, “someone to text me the next morning and ask me out for dinner. You move fast, Chan.”

“You’re the slow one,” Chan returned. “I can’t believe you only realised I was interested in you after our ninth date.”

She gave him a smile that was not apologetic at all. “It was worth the wait, wasn’t it?”

Chan’s eyes softened. “Every bit.”

The server appeared to clear their table. “Would you like some dessert? Our tiramisu is on the menu tonight.”

Jihyun looked to Chan, who gave her a nod. “Sure, we’ll share one,” she told the server, who bowed and left. Nerves started bundling up in her chest - all throughout dinner, Chan had made no move that hinted at him getting down on one knee, nor had there been any tells by the server or any of the other waiters. 

Was he going to hide it in the tiramisu? But she had been the one who had made the decision; what if she had said no to dessert? And she wasn’t sure she wanted to wear a ring sticky from cake and cream. Or...

She smacked herself inwardly. Stop overthinking, she reminded herself. Let things go as they’re supposed to. Go with the flow.

Dessert was served, and it was wonderful, every bite melting in her mouth, leaving behind a hint of coffee and alcohol. They worked through the tiramisu slowly, still talking about how they’d started dating, and she smiled and tried to hide the confusion as they finished the tiramisu with no sight of a ring.

Chan paid the bill, and just like that, dinner was over. As they walked to Chan’s car, he went on about how their first few dates had been, and she responded whenever needed, but her heart wasn’t there. She was a mess of emotions. So...he wasn’t going to propose? Had they jumped to conclusions when they saw him looking at rings? She was disappointed and confused, but it would do no good to ask Chan straight out if he was going to propose. 

He seemed to have sensed something going on, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, no, I’m just a little tired.” She smiled at him. “Everything was wonderful. Thank you, babe.”

And as he hugged her in the middle of the streets and whispered ‘anything for you’, she reminded herself that yes, everything was wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama, drama, drama.


	17. Chapter Sixteen

As Jihyun pushed open the door to Starbucks, she heard someone call her name. Turning around, she saw Younghee running towards her, and she waited patiently for the girl to reach her. “Good morning, Younghee.”

“Good morning, Ms. Jung,” Younghee panted slightly, some loose strands of hair falling out from her ponytail, her white shirt slightly rumpled. “I’m not late, am I?”

“Younghee, it’s 7.30,” she commented dryly. “Just because I’m early doesn’t mean you’re late.” She entered the coffee shop, with her intern trailing behind. The place was packed with people working in the offices nearby waiting to get their daily dose of caffeine, but most of them were just there to grab and go; the tables weren’t full. She took out her Starbucks card, and passed it to Younghee. “Get me an Americano, and get yourself whatever you want. I’ll grab us a table.”

She chose one by the windows, and pulled out the troublesome file from her tote, reading through the documents inside for yet another time to make sure she would be familiar enough to answer any questions asked by the proprietors later. At the same time, her mind generated potential questions and answers to those questions, and she flipped to the documents that would be used as references if necessary. 

Younghee carefully set down two cups of coffee on the table, and sat across her. The girl was quiet as she watched her senior work. The flips through the file seemed random, with no particular order, but Younghee knew that the older woman was looking for specific clauses or terms that she might need for the meeting later. She sipped on her own hot chocolate, waiting patiently for Jihyun to finish her runthrough.

A while later, Jihyun closed the file and took a small sip of her coffee. “Tell me about the meeting we’re going to have,” she told Younghee. 

“Oh.” Younghee blinked, but she’d been reading the file thoroughly before The Incident - that was how the other interns were referring to the drama of yesterday - and she knew it fairly well. “The proprietors want to ensure that we have all the approvals needed for them to sell the land to us.”

“Why are the approvals needed?”

“Because Choi Industries is planning on building a holiday resort on the land, but the land wasn’t meant for that.”

“Good. So have we gotten the approvals?”

“Yes, and we’ll be proceeding with the construction works as soon as the developers are ready.”

Jihyun hummed. “Good, good. You’re familiar with the file, obviously.”

Younghee felt her cheeks flush at the indirect compliment. “Yes, Ms. Jung.”

“You have something on your mind, Younghee, spit it out. It’s very obvious,” Jihyun added. “Come, what is it?”

“I-I thought you wouldn’t let me tag along today,” Younghee blurted out, her eyes lowered.

When she’d went to admit her mistake, she had been utterly terrified of Ms. Jung, who had reprimanded her without any fire - her coldness had scared her far more. The reasoning was simple; anyone could lose their tempers, but not everyone could cooly deal with the problem while holding a tight leash on their anger. She’d nearly burst into tears as she asked the other interns for help, and the fear had only amplified as she went through box after box and couldn’t find the file. 

She didn’t know how Ms. Jung had found the file, and Mr. Kim who’d stayed behind to supervise the interns tidy up hadn’t given them an explanation either. Her group chat with the interns this morning had been filled with all sorts of theories, and persistent pleas for her to ask Ms. Jung what had happened.

“The file wasn’t lost because of your carelessness, Younghee-ah.” Jihyun said solemnly. “You just happened to be the unfortunate victim.”

What? She wanted to ask, wanted to press the matter, but Jihyun didn’t seem to want to elaborate, and so she kept quiet. 

“And even if you had...” Jihyun tapped her finger thoughtfully on the table. “Everyone makes mistakes. It doesn’t mean I should deprive you of the chance to learn. Oh, don’t get me wrong; I’d punish you for the mistake, but it shouldn’t interfere with the purpose of you starting your internship with us, which is to get some hands-on experience.” Head tilted to one side, she looked at her intern. “Does that answer your question, Younghee?”

Said intern was trying very hard to suppress her tears from falling. She felt guilty at failing to take good care of the file passed to her, felt miserable that she’d disappointed the person she wanted to impress, and felt undeserving of the fact that Ms. Jung was still willing to give her a chance to learn. “Thank you, Ms. Jung.” She said, hoping her voice didn’t give her away.

Jihyun didn’t seem to have noticed, but if she had, she didn’t say anything, just took another casual sip of her coffee. “It’s my responsibility, Younghee.”

“I...” Jihyun looked at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Younghee took a deep breath, and started again. “You’ve always been an inspiration to me. You, and Mr. Lee.”

Although both of them had already graduated when she started law school, they had always been used as the standards for younger students, academically and otherwise. For example, Lee Jihoon’s recordings from previous moot competitions were still used as learning material by the moot society. Several of their assignments or essays were commonly used as sample guidelines by their lecturers as the ‘standard they should aim for’.

Initially, Younghee had been sceptical of how their lecturers and their seniors idolised the two. Sure, their work depicted truly brilliant minds behind it, and the recordings were impressive, but anyone could write a good essay or be good at debating. There were top students every year that graduated summa cum laude; what made them so special?

Imagine her surprise when she found out that she’d been accepted by Choi Industries to undergo a three-month internship, and her direct supervisor would be Jung Jihyun, half of the brilliant duo. Her surprise had only doubled when she started her internship and realised that the other half of the duo was Head of the Legal Department. 

Her three months was almost up, with only a couple of weeks left. For the past few months, her respect towards Jung Jihyun had built up steadily like a sturdy brick wall. The woman had a simple outlook towards work: get it done, get it done on time, and get it done well. While listening to her other fellow interns rant about how their own supervisors only gave them meagre tasks or didn’t give them work unless they asked for it, she secretly thanked the skies for giving her a supervisor who didn’t hesitate to pile work on her like she was a full-fledged counsel, who never laughed at the questions she asked, even the ridiculous ones, and was always making sure that she wasn’t only doing grunt work but was truly learning from her time there. While a fair number of people in the department found it unfair that Lee Jihoon valued Jung Jihyun highly, and would gossip about how it was only because they were friends, Younghee knew better. She’d seen firsthand how dedicated her supervisor was towards work, and wished she was in a position to defend the woman, who never seemed unfazed or disturbed by those rumours, even though she would have heard of them once in a while. 

Jihyun grimaced. “Sorry to disappoint, Younghee. I’m not a very good role model. Please don’t be basing your future career off mine; I’d never wish for crazily long working hours even on my worst enemy.”

“The way you approach your responsibilities is what I want to learn, Ms. Jung,” Younghee told her sincerely. “And also, the way you manage to keep all your balls in the air while juggling.”

A snort. “I drop a lot of them, Younghee, don’t be fooled. I just pick them up fast enough so no one else notices.”

Younghee laughed. “I’ll learn how to do that then, Ms. Jung. Can I ask you one more question?”

“Sure.”

“Why didn’t you stay in practice?” She’d heard that Lee Jihoon had been a civil litigation lawyer for three years before he joined Choi Industries as a legal counsel, and Jung Jihyun had started off her legal career as a tax lawyer, but had quit two years later, choosing to join her friend at Choi Industries.

Even though a company’s legal counsel was technically still a lawyer, they were often looked down on by those who worked in law firms and proudly went to court on a regular basis to defend their clients. As discriminatory as it was, legal counsels were often referred to as counsels who weren’t ‘real lawyers’. So why had Jung Jihyun and Lee Jihoon left the courtrooms?

Jihyun was quiet for a few minutes, and Younghee shifted her feet nervously, unsure if she’d asked the wrong question. “I never liked the adversarial environment,” Jihyun said slowly as she thought of the right words to use. “I don’t like picking fights, and I don’t like being in one. If ever provoked, my first instinct would be to just keep my mouth shut and leave. Obviously, practice wouldn’t suit me, and it didn’t. I did try putting my best efforts into work back then, but I couldn’t do my best, and it irked me. I do a far better job in the office, so I chose to switch to something that I could do my best at, instead of something society thinks would be best for me.”

“You’re good at your job,” Younghee said automatically. 

Jihyun smiled and accepted the compliment. “Let that be a lesson to you, young one. Come on.” She grabbed her coffee and stood up. “We have an hour before the meeting, and we have some errands to run.”

*****

“So you’re telling me he didn’t propose?” Jeonghan asked incredulously.

Jihyun shook her head, and swallowed her forkful of pasta and meatballs.

They were in the cafeteria located on the 5th floor of the Left Wing, which was one of the smaller cafeterias in the building that mainly served western food. The other cafeterias were the one on the 5th floor of the Right Wing, which served Chinese food, and the largest one on the 7th floor which was connected by a glass bridge in between both wings, serving Korean dishes, and was undoubtedly the most popular cafeteria out of them all. There were no rules against the public eating at the cafeteria, but as it wasn’t common knowledge, those who came were mostly those who were there to dine with their friends or families who worked in the building. Which was how Wonwoo and Jeonghan were sitting with her and Mingyu at the same table.

Mingyu had used his employee pass to pay for Wonwoo’s meal, but was what surprising was Jeonghan pulling out an employee pass with his name on it to pay for his own. “Should I ask how you have an employee pass when you’re not an employee?” Jihyun had said dryly, and Jeonghan had given her a smug grin.

“Cheol gave it to me.”

Naturally. 

Mingyu frowned as he picked at his chicken. “Did we misread the situation? I mean, Chan hadn’t walked into the shop, he was just outside...”

“Which would reasonably suggest that he had marriage on the mind, isn’t it?” Jeonghan countered. “Why look at engagement rings when you’re not planning to get married?”

“You could look at travel brochures and not plan to travel,” Wonwoo said in his quiet manner, but Jeonghan dismissed the notion.

“That’s different. If you didn’t want to travel, you’d look at travel brochures so that you can imagine visiting those places. But if you don’t want to get married, why would you look at engagement rings? You’d be thinking about marrying your partner with those rings the whole time you’re looking at them.”

Wonwoo pursed his lips, and nodded in agreement. 

“Maybe he’s waiting for another time to propose,” Mingyu suggested. “Regardless of when he’s going to do it, Jihyun’s going to say yes anyway, right?”

Three pairs of curious eyes turned to her, and she gulped. “Er, right. Yes, of course.”

Jeonghan’s beautiful eyes narrowed by a fraction, and she thought to herself: shit. But before the man could say anything, she was saved by her phone ringing. Thank the merciful gods; Jeonghan was extremely perceptive, and she knew he would’ve caught on to the small hesitation in her voice, and would have egged her on until she told him why.

But how could she do that when she herself didn’t have the answer to it?

“Hey, Ji.” 

“Where are you?” Jihoon asked curtly. 

She was instantly alert, straightening up in her chair. “Left Wing cafeteria. Why?”

A short silence from Jihoon. “Kang Il Song is accusing you of breaking into his office after working hours and stealing from him. He claims to have video footage of you in action, and he’s brought it up to Seungcheol already.”

“There are no cameras around his office,” she automatically said. “Where would he have gotten video footage?”

“You broke into his office?” Jihoon asked incredulously. 

“The file that was supposedly lost was found in his office, Ji.” 

Jihoon was silent on the other line, probably trying to figure out what he was supposed to do with this newfound information. She pushed on. “Look, are you in your office?” A grunt of assent was his answer. “I’ll go and meet you right now to explain.” Beside her, Mingyu tugged on her sleeve, and pointed at himself. “I’ll bring Mingyu too; he was there when it happened.” She hung up and looked at Jeonghan and Wonwoo apologetically. “I’m sorry, but Mingyu and I have to go now. There’s an emergency.”

Wonwoo smiled at her understandingly; he was no stranger when it came to emergencies regarding his boyfriend’s work. “Go ahead. We’ll clear the table later.”

Mingyu gave his boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before standing up. “Bye, love. Bye, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan watched the two hurry away, the tall tree and the petite sapling, a weird combination that worked seamlessly. “Wonder what emergency it is.”

“Jihyun’s file for a meeting she had this morning went missing yesterday,” the owner of the bookstore next to his own flower shop told him, recalling the story that Mingyu had told him yesterday when he came home later than usual. “She found out that two of her colleagues had stole it from her intern’s desk, and hid it away from her. I suppose Mr. Lee wants to talk about that.”

“That sounds like very extreme competition.” Jeonghan frowned.

Wonwoo shrugged, taking a bite out of Mingyu’s leftover chicken. “One of the colleagues involved has always held a grudge against Jihyun. Mingyu’s told me all the ridiculous stuff that she’s done to Jihyun, and even though I keep telling Mingyu to tell Jihyun to go report her for bullying...”

“Bullying?” Jeonghan repeated sharply. “Surely Seungcheol or Jihoon know?”

Wonwoo shook his head, and Jeonghan could sense the man’s exasperation. “Mingyu’s threatened to tell the bosses a few times, or at least tell Chan, but Jihyun always stopped him. I don’t know how someone who has such a strong personality can be such a pushover when it comes to standing up for herself.”

Something was simmering in his chest, something that felt like anger and a need to rip into something or someone. Instead, he looked at Wonwoo with cold determination in his eyes. “Tell me about these incidents while we head back.”

In the elevator, Mingyu was looking at Jihyun cautiously. She’d been quiet, but he wouldn’t mistake it for fear; instead, he knew it was because she was doing some quick thinking. “You won’t be able to tell Mr. Lee without telling him everything Kim Yejin has done,” he told her, reading her mind accurately.

A slump of her shoulders showed that she knew that Mingyu was right; she’d have to tell Jihoon about every single incident with the Wicked Witch to explain why she’d suspected her from the beginning. The part of her that despised confrontation recoiled, and her stomach churned at the thought of telling Jihoon about how she’d been bullied by the woman. Because that was what it was - bullying. “He’ll be so pissed,” she murmured as they stepped out of the elevator and into their department. 

A comforting squeeze on her shoulder. “I’ll stand by you, Jihyun.”

“You realise we have no evidence?” Jihyun said in a soft voice as they walked towards Jihoon’s office, careful not to let any wayward ears pick up their conversation. 

Mingyu merely huffed. “Trust me, evidence is the least of your worries.” Jihyun didn’t manage to ask him to clarify further before he walked past Irene’s empty table and knocked on the familiar door. A muffled ‘come in’ could be heard from the office, and in they went. 

Jihoon was there, his emotionless poker face in place. “We have half an hour,” was all he said. “Mr. Choi has called for Jihyun to be in his office by then to explain herself. HR will have a representative there as well. So, speak.”

Jihyun took a deep breath, and spoke.

She spoke about how the CCTV footage had showed Kim Yejin stealing the file, but not where she hid it. How she’d tried and traced her steps, and had thought of checking Kang Il Song’s office, and had found it there. And when Jihoon asked, “what does Kim Yejin have to do with all of this?” she faltered, and had looked to Mingyu for support. The tall man had looked at her with understanding and support in his warm eyes, and she’d taken another deep breath before telling Jihoon how the woman came into the picture.

How she’d spilled Americano over her. How she’d made Jihyun do her work. How she’d ‘accidentally’ deleted the only copies of her work. How she’d spread rumours about her and Jihoon, even Seungcheol. Everything came out, and the more she spoke, the lower her head went, the smaller her voice came out. 

Mingyu had added a few other smaller incidents that she’d already forgotten, or hadn’t been significant enough for her to remember. He’d sensed when she didn’t want to go into too much details, and he would be there filling in the blanks for her. Whenever she hesitated, he had been there with a comforting hand on the small of her back, giving her the support she needed.

She didn’t know how much everything Kim Yejin had done had affected her until it all came out. She’d always been annoyed, pissed even, whenever those incidents happened, but she’d never held on to those grudges. She hadn’t realised that it had merely been her brain pushing all the unwanted and unwelcome emotions - the emotions that made her feel small and vulnerable to the bullying, even though there was no other reason for her to feel that way - to the far back of her mind, which, she was sure, was probably already bursting at the seams, considering how many things she shoved to that part of her mind on a daily basis. 

Even after the two of them had finished talking, her head was still lowered, her eyes sketching every detail of the fuzzy gray carpet under her feet as she waited for Jihoon to say something. But even after what felt like an eternity, Jihoon was still silent. Warily, she lifted her head slightly to look at Jihoon, and she winced at the sight of the man just sitting there in his office chair, his eyes blank, looking in their direction but not seeing them. “Ji?” She called softly, hesitantly. She knew she wasn’t supposed to call him that when Mingyu was present, but she didn’t think ‘Mr. Lee’ was going to snap him out of his trancelike situation.

“Mr. Kim.” Jihoon called, his voice low, and Mingyu snapped to attention. “Give me five minutes with Ms. Jung here.”

With one last pat on her back, Mingyu left the room, shutting the door behind him with a soft snick.

The moment the door was shut, Jihoon’s cold facade shattered, and in its place was pure fury. Her heart wanted to quake in fear, but she steeled herself and kept her back straight. She would face it; it was the least she could do.

“You never even thought of telling me.” Jihoon hissed at her. “Why?”

“Everyone knows her connections to Seungcheol,” she replied as calmly as she could. “I didn’t want to put you in a difficult position.”

She didn’t think Jihoon could get any more berserk than he already was, but apparently she’d underestimated him; the fury in his eyes seemed to double. “Difficult position?” Jihoon snarled. “You were being bullied, being treated like shit, and you were worried about putting me in a difficult position?”

“You can’t tell me it won’t.”

“Do I look like someone who’d put my own position first and foremost when it comes to my friend being bullied?”

“Do I look like someone who’d put my friend in a difficult position just because there’s a pesky problem?” She knew both of them were raising their voices, but the soundproofing was the least of her problems now.

“A pesky problem?” Jihoon stared at her incredulously. “Pesky problem? Are you even listening to yourself right now?”

“She doesn’t deserve my time!” Jihyun retorted. “The witch has to belittle others to feel good about herself; you think I need to stoop down to her level?”

All of a sudden, the rage in Jihoon’s eyes dissipated. She barely had time to admire his self-control before he spoke up again. “If Kang Il Song didn’t discover your little heist, you wouldn’t have told me about any of this. Correct?”

The heat in her cheeks receded, and so did the defensive fire in her chest. “Yes. But Ji, please don’t think that it was because I thought that you wouldn’t be capable of protecting me.” She knew how his mind worked, and knew that part of his anger would have been motivated by the thought of her thinking he wasn’t going to protect her. “I just didn’t want to put you or Seungcheol in a difficult position.” 

He looked at her, and was that thoughtfulness she saw in his eyes? It unnerved her. “Send Mingyu in, and wait for us outside.”

“Ji,” she tried, “aren’t we going to talk about this? Please?” She knew better than to think that the man wasn’t mad at her anymore; after all, she’d learnt how to skilfully hide her emotions from him. 

“We will,” he answered, and the corner of his mouth curved up coldly. “Oh, we will. But not now. Send Mingyu in, and wait outside.”

She did so, albeit sulkily, and waited for the two of them to come out. She didn’t have to wait very long; after the both of them came out, Mingyu sent her a knowing glance and left after muttering his farewell. She made to follow, but Jihoon pulled her towards the elevators. “We’re needed in Mr. Choi’s office now,” he reminded her briskly. 

“Okay.” She said, a little weaker than she intended it to come out. With a small frown, she composed herself. It wasn’t going to be an easy confrontation, and she needed to be at her best.

“Relax,” Jihoon murmured. She looked at him, but he didn’t turn away from the doors. “I’ll be there.”

Just like that, she felt the weight drop off her shoulders. “I know.” 

Jihoon was there for her, and damned if she’d let herself be trampled all over by the people who’d set her up for failure. 

No, Jihyun wasn’t here to play nice today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, more drama. Also, I was super soft for Mingyu while writing this chapter.


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Wendy was at her table, and looked up as Jihyun and Jihoon approached. “Mr. Lee, Ms. Jung.” She gave them a small bow, which they returned. “Mr. Choi is expecting you both. Please, go right in.” As they walked past her, Wendy whispered “good luck”, and Jihyun gave her a grateful if small smile.

However, all traces of the smile were wiped clean from her face the moment she stepped through the door. 

Seungcheol was in his chair behind his table, a small furrow between his eyebrows the only sign of his frustration and annoyance at the entire situation. There was a man in his forties that Jihyun had never seen before, but was introduced to her as Gong Yu, a senior manager in the HR department. And of course, sitting in the other chair beside Gong Yu, the star of the show, Kang Il Song, trying to put up a show of blustering indignance. Jihyun didn’t bother telling him that no one else in the room was buying his poor attempt at being the wronged party, not when the gleam in his eye was screaming victory and satisfaction at destroying another obstacle in his path.

Seungcheol spoke first, his voice solemn. “Ms. Jung, Mr. Kang has brought a very serious allegation of theft against you. He claims that he has video footage of you breaking into his room after office hours and stealing important documents from him.”

“Documents relating to a file that my team has been working on, Mr. Choi,” Kang Il Song added in a somber tone. “I would not have brought this matter to you, but...” he slid a look towards Jihoon that no one missed, “I was worried about how the matter would be fairly treated were it brought to the Head of the department, knowing their, ah, close relationship.”

Oh, wrong thing to say, Jihyun thought as Seungcheol’s eyes darkened. No one insulted Jihoon’s integrity, certainly not in front of his best friend. But Seungcheol said nothing. 

“I would like to watch the video footage in question,” Gong Yu spoke up in a deep voice. “After all, it would be the determining evidence for this entire matter.”

“Certainly.” Kang Il Song pulled out a pendrive from his pocket, and passed it to Seungcheol, who plugged it into his computer.

“It would be this one, Mr. Choi.” Kang Il Song pointed at the lone video in the folder titled yesterday’s date, for the time between 5pm to 6pm. “You can fast forward it until the middle of the video; that is where Ms. Jung is caught on camera breaking into my office.” He shot her a glare, and sniffed. She didn’t bother responding. One glance at the video told her everything she needed to know, and she kept her silence. Beside her, Jihoon was discreetly typing on his phone, only shooting occasional glances at the computer screen.

Once the video ended, Seungcheol and Gong Yu turned towards her, both gazes heavy. “There is no doubt that the person in the footage was you, Ms. Jung.” Gong Yu said. “It clearly shows you breaking into Mr. Kang’s office, rifling through his files, and removing one without his permission. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Yes, actually.” She cleared her throat, and plastered on a meek look that she knew Seungcheol didn’t buy, not one bit. “Mr. Kang, how is it that you are able to install your own CCTV camera inside your office? That’s clearly a violation of the office regulations.”

For a moment, Kang Il Song was thrown off his high horse as he fumbled for an explanation. “It was a necessity,” he said as imperiously as he could manage. “I had staff stealing from my office supplies, and with no cameras outside my office, the only way I could catch the thieves was by installing a camera with my own money.” He hung his head. “I know it is a violation of office regulations, and I am willing to accept the appropriate punishments. But I will emphasise that it was truly out of necessity.”

“That’s a problem for Mr. Gong to decide, not me, so let’s leave it there.” Jihyun said understandingly. “Mr. Kang, may I ask about the nature of the documents stolen from your office?”

He looked at her with a hint of disdain in his eyes. “Ms. Jung, as you were the one who blatantly broke into my office, one would think that you know exactly what were the documents you stole.”

“Stealing would indicate taking something that doesn’t belong to me, Mr. Kang. But...” she leaned down to look at him, and almost laughed at the flicker of fear in his eyes. “I don’t think it amounts to stealing when I was merely retrieving my file that you took from me.”

She hadn’t figured out Kang Il Song’s game yet; how was he going to deny this? The man put on a show of indignation again. “You were caught - on video, might I add - stealing a yellow file that clearly has my initials on the cover. It is a file that my team and I have been working on for quite some time, and I am more than willing to call them in to testify. Pray tell me,” he nearly hissed, “how does that make it your file?”

“Call them in, then.” She merely shrugged as she realised his strategy. She’d bet the million dollars that she didn’t have that Kim Yejin would be the ‘team’ that Kang Il Song was going to call in.

“Ms. Jung, where is this going?” Gong Yu asked.

“Let’s hear them out, Mr. Gong,” Seungcheol soothed, and the man nodded, though disapproval was still eminent in his face.

“With your permission, Mr. Choi, I’ll step out to make a call to one of my team members to have her meet us here.” 

Seungcheol nodded, and Kang Il Song left the room. “Mr. Gong, Ms. Jung,” Seungcheol said, “I need to speak with Mr. Lee privately about some other issues. Can you give us a moment?”

“Of course.” Gong Yu stood up and excused himself. Jihoon nudged Jihyun, and she took her leave as well. 

“Ji, what the hell?” Seungcheol asked the moment they were the only ones left in the room. “Why is she stealing files?”

“My problem was more about her being caught rather than the act itself,” Jihoon muttered, and caught the glare the CEO gave him. “She wasn’t lying when she said it’s her file, Cheol.” Jihoon gave him a quick run-through the salient points of the entire story, and Seungcheol’s dark eyes got darker and darker every passing second. 

“So what does she plan to do?” Seungcheol asked. “Don’t tell me nothing; we both know she’s got something up her sleeve, it’s just that you’d know what it is better than I would.”

“I don’t think she has a plan,” Jihoon replied, and Seungcheol looked at him as though he was mad.

“You’re telling me that I will potentially need to kick two employees out of my company today, one of whose father owns a number of shares of the company, and Jihyun doesn’t have a plan?”

Jihoon turned on him, snarling. “If you’re of the opinion she needs a plan, you’re sorely mistaken and need to pull that stick out of your ass. She’s been bullied, Cheol! Under my freaking watch! And you’re telling me she needs a plan for you to kick the asshole out?”

Wincing, Seungcheol rubbed at his face. “Ji, I want both of them gone, please don’t get me wrong. I’m pissed too. But we both know it’s not going to be easy. We can’t just take Jihyun’s word for it; Kim Bojeon will tear it into shreds if we don’t have evidence.”

“You’ll get your evidence,” Jihoon said sharply. That was the end of their conversation as the intercom on Seungcheol’s table beeped, Wendy’s voice coming through. “Mr. Choi, Mr. Kang and the others are ready to come in.”

“Send them in, Wendy.” Seungcheol looked at his friend, who had settled himself on one of the chairs across him, his face calm and composed. Seungcheol couldn’t place that look; it was so familiar, but unfamiliar in the sense that he hadn’t seen it in a while... 

It didn’t take long before a bulb flickered on in his brain. Amusement bubbled up in his chest, the earlier worry wiped clean. Things were going to be interesting.

The door opened, and in walked the previous trio who’d left the room earlier, accompanied by Kim Yejin, Kim Mingyu, and a young girl he’d never met. Gong Yu took the seat beside Jihoon’s, while the rest settled on standing on different sides of the room. The young girl, whose wide eyes were filled with terror, had quickly flitted over to Jihyun’s side, and Jihoon noticed her relax slightly only after Jihyun whispered something in her ear. Mingyu stood casually on the other side of Jihyun, hands in his pockets, and gave the slightest nod when his eyes met Jihoon’s.

Curtain up.

“May I?” Jihyun asked, and Seungcheol nodded. She turned to look at Kang Il Song. “Yesterday before 5pm, my intern, not knowing the truth behind the disappearance of the file, had come to me to seek for advice. I instructed her to continue searching for the file around the office while Mr. Kim checked the CCTV footage covering my intern’s desk. Yes,” she said almost gently as she saw colour leech out of Kang Il Song’s narrow face and spots of red bloom high on Kim Yejin’s cheeks, “There was a camera there. Ms. Kim here was caught red-handed stealing my file off my intern’s desk.”

Those pretty bambi eyes started watering up. “It wasn’t me,” Kim Yejin stuttered, and Jihyun would have felt some semblance of sympathy if she didn’t know any better. Unfortunately for Kim Yejin, she did. But she had a role to play, and she only had one shot to play it right.

“Perhaps Ms. Kim was misled by Mr. Kang, and took the file thinking it was truly the file belonging to Mr. Kang. We all make honest mistakes,” Jihyun said to Kim Yejin soothingly as she looked at the woman with a look that said ‘I know it wasn’t your fault’. As Kim Yejin shrank from the look Jihyun gave her, uncertain as to why Jihyun was making excuses for her, Kang Il Song had started forward, his intention to refute the statement as clear as day, but one warning glance from Jihoon kept him in his spot, and he swallowed back his words. 

Jihyun continued in her lilting tone, careful not to break her rhythm. “I did some calculations and realised that the only place Ms. Kim could have hid my file was in Mr. Kang’s room, which was in a blind spot from any CCTV cameras. Perhaps she didn’t mean to involve you, Mr. Kang,” Jihyun said with such sincerity in her voice, all of Kang Il Song’s earlier indignation disappeared, replaced by confusion and relief at the lifeline she’d thrown him. It was Kim Yejin’s turn to look furious, but she held her fury in check, merely seething and glaring at Jihyun from her corner.

“So many possibilities.” Jihyun walked around the room, all eyes on her, everyone silent. “Was it a simple misunderstanding that stemmed from Mr. Kang’s miscommunication with Ms. Kim? Had Ms. Kim involved innocent Mr. Kang in her vendetta against me? Or are both of them in this together?” Stopping abruptly in front of Jihoon and Gong Yu, who looked every bit as enthralled as he felt, she suddenly whipped around to look at Kang Il Song and Kim Yejin, whose eyes were wide open, identical expressions of fear and anger in them as they returned her steady glance. Eyes still on them, she pulled out a pendrive from her pocket, one that Mingyu had quietly slipped into her palm while they were waiting outside, one that she had no time to review but trusted Mingyu that it contained whatever she needed. “Shall we find out the truth, ladies and gentlemen?”

The pen drive was handed over to Seungcheol, who plugged it in. Just like Kang Il Song’s earlier, there was only one file on the pendrive. “Can you read out the name of the file, Mr. Choi?” 

Seungcheol complied. “It’s a video clip, titled yesterday’s date with the time being 1pm to 2pm.”

“You look like you have some idea of the contents of the video clip, Mr. Kang.” Gong Yu quietly commented as he observed the other man, who was turning a sickly shade of green. 

Kang Il Song said nothing as Seungcheol clicked on the video clip. The video showed Kang Il Song’s office, but much brighter than when Jihyun had been inside. The office was empty for a few seconds, and Seungcheol decided to skip through the video by 10-second skips until he stopped at the middle of the video, where Kang Il Song had entered his office, sitting at his desk. It was nothing unusual, until minutes later, he looked up as though someone had knocked on his door, and the door swung open to reveal Kim Yejin sashaying into the office, a familiar thick pink file in one hand.

The camera didn’t have a microphone, so they had no way to find out what had been discussed between the two. After a few minutes of what seemed to be an intense discussion, Kim Yejin passed the file over to Kang Il Song, who had taken out an empty yellow file and put the pink file into it, before slipping the now poorly-concealed file into the stack on his table. Some more serious talking, and finally Kim Yejin exited with a laugh, and Seungcheol ended the video.

Kim Yejin wasn’t laughing now. If anything, she looked ready to tear out Jihyun’s heart and roast it on a spit. It was amazing how she could still feel furious and not apologetic, or at least fearful for her job. Jihyun supposed that she was so out of touch with reality, she hadn’t realised that not even her father could save her this time. Especially not after act two of this elaborate play, which would start in a while.

Kang Il Song, on the other hand, knew exactly how this was going to end for him, and his trembling figure showed it. Perhaps she could find it in herself to be forgiving, Jihyun thought to herself, but unfortunately her forgiveness only went that far, and it wasn’t going to stretch to asking Seungcheol and Jihoon to let him off the leash. 

Gong Yu was the one who spoke first, breaking the silence. “Ms. Jung, may I ask your intern a few questions?”

Jihyun nodded, and Jihoon saw her give the young girl, who looked like a deer caught in headlights, a small comforting pat on the back. “Mr. Gong, this is Im Younghee, my intern.”

The girl - Younghee - bowed deeply at Mr. Gong, whose stern face relaxed slightly as he sensed the nervousness of the girl. “Ms. Im, have you watched the video footage that shows Ms. Kim taking the file from your desk?”

“Yes, sir.” She may have been nervous, but her voice was clear and steady. “Mr. Kim had showed it to me earlier. It is my desk - my water tumbler and diary can be seen in the video - and the file was the file that I thought I had lost.” She shot Jihyun a guilty look, and Jihyun gave her an encouraging smile.

Gong Yu nodded. “Did you see the video footage that Mr. Choi just played?”

“Yes, sir,” she repeated. “I cannot say for certain that the file Ms. Kim passed to Mr. Kang was the file she had taken from my desk, as the wordings on the file weren’t clear in the video. But the time does suggest that it is the same file. And...”

“Go on, girl.” Gong Yu said gently as she hesitated, and she nodded, taking a deep breath before continuing.

“We rarely have thick files in the department, sir. It is common practice to open a supplemental file, or more if needed, if the file starts bulking up with the number of paper inside. It’s to prevent damage to the folder so it’ll last longer. And-“

“What would an intern know about our departments practices?” Kim Yejin said haughtily, a condescending look on her face.

“Much more than you do, I wager.” Jihoon had spoken up for the first time ever since they re-entered the office, and the hit was direct and brutal; Kim Yejin shut up immediately, her face burning with anger and embarrassment.

The interruption had clearly taken out whatever was left of Younghee’s courage, but she bravely soldiered on. “Sir, it can be seen from the video that the file given to Mr. Kang by Ms. Kim was a fairly thick one. The file that was taken from my desk was one of the very few files that was unusually thick. It’s because Ms. Jung has been busy with her work recently and hasn’t had the time to sort out the documents in the file into supplementary files. It may not be solid evidence, but I don’t think the coincidence should be dismissed.”

“Indeed.” Gong Yu nodded, and Younghee visibly relaxed. Jihoon saw Jihyun murmur something into her ear, possibly ‘good job’ or something similar. 

Gong Yu turned to face Seungcheol, whose serious look was still in place. Unless one knew him as well as Jihoon did, the anger in his eyes wouldn’t have been noticed. “I will need to discuss with my colleagues first as to the actions to be taken,” Gong Yu said. “However, I can give you an initial assurance that Ms. Jung will be given an extremely light penalty for breaking into Mr. Kang’s office, at most. There will be none for theft, as I cannot find any justifying evidence showing that she is guilty of that accusation.” Upon saying that, he shot a mildly disgusted look at Kang Il Song and Kim Yejin. “For Mr. Kang and Ms. Kim, we would need more statements from the both of them before coming to a decision. However, I would suggest that they be put on unpaid leave pending the decision, effective today.”

“It was her idea!” Kang Il Song finally exploded. “Mr. Choi, please-“

“You misled me!” Kim Yejin screamed, and Jihyun wanted to applaud the tears in her eyes. The woman was a natural drama queen; she’d just been expressing that talent in the wrong way. “Mr. Choi, please trust me, I only did it because Mr. Kang told me it was his file-“

Time for act two.

“Yejin ah...” Jihyun called, and the woman stopped screeching to look at her with shimmery eyes. “Would you blame me if I said I believe Mr. Kang more?”

“Why you-“

Gong Yu shot the raging woman a look, and she quietened down. “Ms. Jung, is that a mere observation or do you have solid evidence to back up your statement?”

“Well...” Jihyun pursed up her lips, as if deep in thought. “I really don’t want to put Ms. Kim in a difficult position, but I suppose I must tell you about Ms. Kim’s daily behaviour in the office. As character evidence, if you must.”

Gong Yu looked at her curiously. “Pardon me, Ms. Jung, but I cannot recall any complaints of misbehaviour on part of Ms. Kim made to our department.”

Jihyun flashed him a smile. “Of course you haven’t, Mr. Gong. How could you have, when I’m the only person on the receiving end, and I’ve never made any complaints against her?”

“Watch your words.” Kim Yejin said coldly, but Jihyun had detected the one emotion she had been waiting for in her tone: fear. 

“Why should I, when you’ve never done so?” Jihyun merely raised an eyebrow tauntingly. “Remember the gossip you spread about me sleeping with Mr. Lee for a promotion? Or the ones where I slept with Mr. Choi for a raise? There were some about me sleeping with the both of them at the same time as well.”

“That wasn’t me,” Kim Yejin said quickly. “I’ll admit I’ve heard those rumours, but I’ve always defended you against the horrible people who talk about it in front of me. Really.” Her Bambi eyes had started watering up again. “It wasn’t me, Jihyun.”

Jihyun looked at her sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Yejin. But I have solid evidence that you started those rumours against me.” 

It was then Mingyu pulled out a piece of folded paper, and passed it to Gong Yu. “The people named here are those who are willing to testify against Ms. Kang, and her... misbehaviour, if you can call it that, towards Ms. Jung for the past couple of years.”

Kim Yejin’s eyes had a wild look in them now. “No, they’re lying! It wasn’t me!”

No one paid her any attention as they all focused on Gong Yu, who was reading the list. “There are a lot of names here, Mr. Kim.”

Mingyu shrugged lazily. “There are names of impartial people who are not involved with either Ms. Jung nor Ms. Kim, as well as names of people who are involved or close with either one of them. Everyone in the office has witnessed the constant abuse, but to start with, these are the people who are willing to talk.”

“Abuse is a strong word, Mingyu,” Jihyun patted his arm and tried to make it sound as reprimanding as possible, while looking embarrassed at the entire situation. “Let’s not make it any more worse than it already is, shall we?”

As she’d predicted, Mingyu glared at her incredulously. “Pouring coffee over you from head to toe isn’t an abuse?”

The office went so silent, the only sound she could hear was her own breathing, and even then only barely as she kept her tone calm. “Mingyu-“

“And the time she put your file into the shredder even though it was nowhere near the to-shred pile?”

“Mingyu-“ She wished she could look at the expressions of the others, but she was too busy biting the inside of her cheek, trying to pretend to calm Mingyu down while keeping the depressed and embarrassed look on her face. Perhaps she felt a little guilty for using Mingyu that way, but she knew the man wouldn’t hold a grudge against her; he’d been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. 

Indeed, the man was on a roll. “And how about the time she slipped her file into your to-do stack without you noticing, and took credit for the work afterwards?”

“Mingyu-“

“And the time she tampered with your calendar and shifted all your deadlines to be one week later, and you nearly missed the deadlines for 10 files and had to complete them all within one night?”

“Mingyu.” Her tone was sharper this time, and he finally caught the message and stopped, though very much unwillingly, judging by the baleful look in his eyes.

That was enough as an appetiser for the hungry audience. “I will not deny that those incidents happened.” She said quietly, though forcefully. “And those were only the tip of the iceberg.”

Mingyu pulled out another sheaf of folded papers from his pocket, this one thicker than the last. “The details of the incidents,” he told Gong Yu, who flipped open the papers and started reading immediately. “And the names of people who are willing to testify that these incidents happened, and that they were not ‘accidents’ as Ms. Kim often claims, but with absolute malicious intent on Ms. Kim’s part. Consider it filing an official complaint with your department, Mr. Gong, despite being 2 years late.”

Gong Yu folded the papers, and looked at Jihyun. “Ms. Jung. Can I ask why you never reported any of these...” he struggled with the words, and settled on ‘incidents’, “to your department Head?”

“It was well known that Ms. Kim’s father is a shareholder of our company, Mr. Gong,” she replied respectfully. “I had not wanted to put my department Head, nor the HR department, in a difficult position, but it was truly not because of my lack of faith in you. Also...” she looked at Kim Yejin, this time with contempt in her eyes, “I didn’t think Ms. Kim was worth the attention.”

With a nod, Gong Yu stood up. “With your leave, Mr. Choi, I will be heading back to my department and commencing the investigations on everything that we have heard today. I shall be in contact with all of you,” he addressed the room, “perhaps even more than once, to arrange a time for you to give us official statements.

“Ms. Jung.” He turned to her, and surprised her by giving her a deep bow, which she returned hastily. “The department is truly apologetic that you have had to suffer these inconveniences for the past few years. Rest assured that we will not stop until you get the answers you deserve.”

“Thank you, Mr. Gong. That means a lot to me.” She only straightened up after hearing Gong Yu’s departing footsteps. Moments later, only seven of them were left in the room.

Act two, end.

“Mr. Kang, Ms. Kim.” Seungcheol said coldly. “I will be taking Mr. Gong’s suggestion earlier. Both of you are to go on unpaid leave, effective today. But between you and me?” He leaned forward slightly, with the two flinching in response, and a corner of his lips curved up in a perfect impression of Lucifer before he rained hell onto heaven, “Regardless of the decision, you will never ever work for Choi Industries after the investigations. Nor in the industry, or the city. Consider moving somewhere far, far away, somewhere that I won’t be able to touch you.”

Kang Il Song, being the smarter one, fell to his knees. “Mr. Choi, please, I was truly misled by Ms. Kim-“

“I have no need for employees who would betray their partner without hesitation when caught,” Seungcheol said, no hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at the weeping man. “And none for idiots who are willing to harm their colleagues but have no guts to face their sins afterwards. You have an hour. Clear your things, and get out of my building.” He looked at Mingyu, who nodded and grabbed the smaller man by his shoulders, escorting him out of the room.

Five more left.

Seungcheol looked at Kim Yejin. “Same goes for you, Ms. Kim. One hour, and then out.”

Jihyun could see that the woman wasn’t in her right state of mind; she was trembling from anger, her cheeks flushed and her eyes filled with hate. “My father will ruin you,” she hissed. “How dare you-“

“Your father,” Seungcheol interrupted with obvious disgust in his eyes, “is merely a shareholder in Choi Industries. We do fine with him, but we will do equally fine without him. And if he decides to leave us after hearing the full story, Ms. Kim, I have no doubt the loss is his and not mine. He is a man I truly respect, but you are an absolute disappointment.” The last few words were spoken softly, but the impact harsh.

“You-you chose her-“

“There is no ‘choosing’,” Jihoon spoke up, his voice as disdainful as Seungcheol’s. “You’re a good-for-nothing who has contributed nothing to the company ever since you joined, and be grateful that we are not dealing you in the way I wish we were. Take the last chance to get out of the building safely and peacefully, or you’ll get the opportunity to find out what I meant by ‘the way I wish we were’.”

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal Wendy. She simply tugged at the woman’s arms, and the woman followed. But before they left the office, Jihoon called. “Wait.”

Wendy shifted so that Kim Yejin was facing them. Jihoon didn’t bother getting out from his seat as he looked at Kim Yejin, and directed his words at her.

“Do not even think about getting revenge on Jihyun, no matter how indirectly,” Jihoon said, his soft voice somehow making the threat more intimidating. “Anything happens to her, even one small minor thing that does nothing more than make her unhappy for one small second, I will hunt you down like the disgusting animal you are and put you out of your misery. Try me,” he invited as anger flashed in Kim Yejin’s eyes. “Let’s see who’ll be the last one standing. Now get out of my sight.”

“Younghee.” Her intern didn’t respond, petrified with fear. “Younghee.” She added a gentle pat on the girl’s back, and she jolted. “Go back to the office. Tell no one what happened here. No one, got it?” Younghee nodded, and bolted out of the office after a hasty bow to the two other men in the room. 

“You know,” Jihyun said casually, “I can fight my own battles.”

“Yeah,” Jihoon said bitterly, “you’ve been doing a damn good job of it.” He walked out the office without a backwards glance, slamming the door shut.

“My door,” Seungcheol sighed. 

Jihyun suddenly felt exhausted as the adrenaline left her. She sat down on the chair that Jihoon had just vacated, and put her head in her hands. “This is a mess,” she said, her voice muffled by her palms.

“You’re telling me.” Seungcheol snorted softly. “You should have told him, you know.”

“I just didn’t want to put him in a difficult position,” she rubbed her face frustratedly, grateful for the fact that she didn’t have any makeup on to ruin it. “Why is he taking it as a personal insult?”

“How could it have put him in a difficult position if he would have chosen you either way?” Baffled, Seungcheol looked at her. “I can’t understand you, Jihyun. It wasn’t about putting him or me in a difficult position. You were being bullied by that bitch. Even if it were someone else, someone we weren’t close friends with, Jihoon would have dealt with it the same way. Don’t tell me you never realised that.” He groaned as he saw the realisation in Jihyun’s eyes. “Oh god, you’ve never realised that. Aren’t I supposed to be the dumb one here?”

“Shut up, you’re not dumb, you have an MBA,” Jihyun retorted, half-absently as she pondered over Seungcheol’s words and realised that she had, indeed, been dumb. 

“Jihoon’s hurt, and I don’t blame him.” Seungcheol told her gently. “It’s an ego thing. He’s probably thinking you thought he wouldn’t be able to protect you-“

“I just-“

“Aren’t they the same?” Seungcheol merely countered, and she shut up. “And there’s the trust factor too. It’s going to look like you didn’t trust him.”

“But I-“

“They’re the same, regardless of how you phrase it.” Seungcheol had inhuman patience, and it showed. “Talk to him, okay? You know Ji; he’ll hold grudges against the entire world until an alien invasion happens, but he won’t be mad at you for too long.”

All she could say was, “Alien invasion? Really, Seungcheol?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s the workplace drama! I know it wasn’t very Seventeen-centred but I’m hoping you enjoyed the read :)


	19. Chapter Eighteen

“I’m mad at you too, you know.” Jeonghan pointed his wine glass at Jihyun from where he was lazing on his couch. 

Jihyun merely rolled her eyes as she took a small sip of her own wine as she leaned back against the armchair. “Attitude,” Jeonghan warned, and she stuck out her tongue. “I can’t believe Wonwoo knew more than I did.”

“Wonwoo’s known me for two years!”

“Time is relative.” Jeonghan glared at her. “Wonwoo isn’t the one having this comfort fest with you right now, is he?”

“And technically, I didn’t tell Wonwoo,” Jihyun muttered. “Mingyu did.”

“We are not going into technicalities, young lady.”

“Young lady?”

“You really should have told someone about it,” Jisoo chided gently beside Jeonghan, his hazel eyes filled with concern. “She sounds crazy and she could have seriously harmed you.”

She couldn’t help but groan. “I know, I know.” She really did. Looking back now, she wished that she’d told Jihoon right from the beginning. She would have saved herself a lot of extra work, avoided a lot of wrinkle-inducing angry moments, and most importantly, she would still be on talking terms with Jihoon.

Seungcheol’s declaration that Jihoon could never stay mad at her for too long was probably accurate. But as neither of them knew how ‘too long’ was, they were currently already in their second week of the ‘Jihoon ignores Jihyun’ segment.

She knew she’d messed up, but she really, really, really missed her best friend. 

No one could say that she hadn’t tried: she’d texted Jihoon and gotten no reply, she’d called Jihoon who refused to pick up, she’d left voicemails that she was sure Jihoon didn’t bother listening to, she’d even emailed him on his company email and had gotten no response, and last but not least, she’d went to his office only to be barred from entering by Irene, who’d told her apologetically that Jihoon had put her on the dreaded ‘No Entry’ list. 

Damn it, she did not deserve to be on that dratted list, which had names of the worst people that Jihoon had encountered throughout his career. 

“I’ve been trying to talk to him, but he won’t talk to me,” she whined. “What am I supposed to do, kidnap him and threaten to drop him into the Han River unless he talks to me?”

“We could do that.” Jeonghan shrugged casually, and his best friend shot him a glare. “Okay, we can’t do that.”

“You could ask Seungcheol to ask him out, but instead you’ll be the one meeting him,” Jisoo suggested. “Or I can force one of my interns to call him from the hospital, saying that you’ve been in an accident and he needs to go and see you right now.” This time, Jeonghan was the one doing the glaring. “Okay, kind of extreme. But the first one might work.”

“Why do I have to resort to tricks to talk to my best friend?”

“Because he doesn’t want to talk to you otherwise?” Jeonghan said, matter-of-factly.

“Right.” Grumpily, she gulped down what was left of her wine, and poured herself another generous portion before Jisoo could stop her. She was not in the mood for her usual limit of one glass tonight. Besides, Jisoo was a doctor. What could go wrong?

An hour later, her head was feeling heavy. She wasn’t sure how many glasses she’d drank, but she felt like she’d drank her weight. Also, she was terribly sleepy. Fighting a yawn, she held out her empty wineglass. “Can I get more?”

Jisoo plucked the glass out of her hand, ignoring her sleepy protests. “You’ve already had too much, Hyun. Come on, I’ll send you home.”

Right, Jisoo was her designated driver for the night. “Don’t wanna go home yet,” she mumbled as she felt him carry her, princess-style. Automatically, her arms went around his neck. “Where’s Jeonghan?”

“I’ve already tossed him into bed,” Jisoo assured her in a soothing tone as he easily opened the door, closed it, and pressed the down button outside the elevator. “Chan’s going to be angry.”

She yawned, and snuggled against the warm chest. Jisoo’s breathing was even, showing that carrying her hardly took any effort. If she could form coherent thoughts like this, she was probably sort of sober. Was she sober? Maybe yes. But how do you define sober? One more yawn and her train of thoughts disappeared, replaced by warm fuzziness where she didn’t want to do any thinking. “Thanks, Soo.”

“Anytime.”

The elevator dinged softly, and Jisoo nearly dropped the drunk woman in his arms when the elevator doors slid open, revealing a shorter man in a dark blue hoodie and sweatpants, face slightly red, looking as surprised to see him - them - as he was to see him. Amused, Jisoo stepped into the elevator, careful not to knock Jihyun against the walls. “Hello, Jihoon. Visiting Seungcheol?”

“Ye-yeah,” the man stammered, and gave a small hiccup. 

“Jihoon?” Jihyun murmured, and snuggled against Jisoo’s chest even further as she gave another yawn. “Nope, he doesn’t wanna see me.”

If she had turned her head around, she would have seen the rare sight of Jihoon slightly drunk and slightly flustered. I wish I could take a photo of this, Jisoo thought, biting his lip hard to stop himself from laughing. “Hyun, Jihoon’s here,” he said before Jihoon could stop him.

“Don’t believe you,” was Jihyun’s muffled reply. “He hates me. Won’t be here.”

Jihoon’s face fell slightly. “Don’t hate her,” he said crossly. “Just angry-hic!”

Distinctly, Jisoo remembered Jeonghan and Seungcheol saying that Jihoon was alcohol intolerant, like Jihyun. “Jihoon hyung, I’ll drive you home,” Jisoo told the man, and when he opened his mouth to refuse, Jisoo added, “I don’t want you to drive in this state. I’m a doctor; I’ve seen my share of what happens when people drive while they’re drunk.” Far too many, and not all of them could be saved. 

That must have convinced the man, and he nodded as they walked towards Joshua’s car. “I’ll ask Cheol to bring me my car tomorrow,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Thanks, Joshua.”

Now was his opening. “Hyung,” Joshua said in a concerned tone, “Can you hold Jihyun for a moment while I grab my car keys? They’re pretty deep in my pocket,” he said with as much sheepishness as he could muster, “and I won’t feel very comfortable with asking you to fish them out for me.”

Jihoon blinked a few times, but still nodded. “Can you manage?” Jisoo asked as he carefully passed the now-sleeping Jihyun into Jihoon’s arms. “You can just support her instead, it’s fine.”

As predicted, the words pricked at Jihoon’s ego, which was still there even after some serious alcohol imbibing, judging from Jihoon’s flushed skin and red eyes. “It’s fine,” Jihoon snapped as he carried Jihyun easily.

Jisoo caught a glimpse of his well-toned pecs under the hoodie, and nodded understandingly. “Of course, of course,” he said. “Don’t know what I was thinking.” He unlocked the car, and helped Jihoon put Jihyun in the backseat. The sudden loss of body heat made her whine softly, but after fidgeting for a while, she continued snoozing against the leather seats. 

Next step. “I think I forgot my wallet,” Jisoo said with a frown, patting his pockets, hoping Jihoon wasn’t sober enough to see the telling lump in his back pocket. “I’m sorry, hyung, but can you take care of her while I go up and grab it?” Without waiting for a response, he tossed his car keys to Jihoon, who caught it instinctually. “I’ll be back fast!” 

Jihoon stared at the keys in his hands. “Right.” Tiredly, he slapped himself on the cheeks, and went to start the engine before going around and sliding into the shotgun seat. He studiously looked forward, but lost the battle after a while and turned around to look at the sleeping Jihyun. “I’m a little angry at you still,” he told her loudly. 

He did not expect her to mutter, “I know.” But before he could panic, she yawned and continued her slumber, and he calmed down slightly. 

It was the truth: he was still a little mad at her. “For what?” Seungcheol had asked him earlier that night, as they had dug into his precious stash of liquor and he had drank without any of his usual self-control, tossing the burning alcohol down his throat like they were plain water.

“She should’ve told me,” he grumbled, not knowing that just one floor away, the woman in question was acknowledging that she should’ve told him at the same time. 

He’d ignored all her texts and calls, even the emails, and had expressly barred her from his office, despite Irene’s severe disapproval. He’d taken to going to the office straight after his 6am gym sessions, and only left the office when he was sure that the owner of that particular desk had already left. Which had led to a lot of work being done, even more than usual. He should be happy. 

But he wasn’t. If anything, he was even grumpier than normal, and he felt constantly on edge, with nothing - not even fantabulous sex with his smoking hot girlfriend - being able to take the edge off. 

“She should’ve,” Seungcheol agreed as he refilled Jihoon’s glass with a finger of honey gold liquor, “and she has acknowledged her mistake countless of times over the past week, Ji. You’ve just been too stubborn to agree to talk to her.”

“Well, she should try harder,” Jihoon muttered. “I think I deserve the effort.”

Seungcheol stared at him. “Now you’re being petty.” He gently clinked his glass against his best friend’s, and waited for them to finish gulping down another mouthful of alcohol before he continued. “I’m just saying that you shouldn’t be so hard on her. You two are best friends - I don’t want it ruined just because of what some crazy-ass bitch did. It’s not worth it, Ji, and you know it.”

“You are far too sober.” Jihoon poured another portion of the liquor into Seungcheol’s glass. “Get drunk.”

So an hour later, when Seungcheol was well and truly drunk and facedown on his couch, Jihoon had told him in a warbly voice, “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

A grunt was Seungcheol’s response. “I want to be angry at her for a few more hours,” Jihoon told the back of his friend, and got another grunt. Guess that was the end of their night. He’d stumbled out of Seungcheol’s apartment and into the elevator, and had nearly leapt out of the elevator in shock when he saw Jisoo standing on the fourth floor, with Jihyun in his arms. 

Now here they were. “I’m sorry too, you know?” He told her, but this time, Jihyun didn’t stir. “I was mad at myself for not being there for you after, well, everything. And I know that you messed up, but I know I messed up too. Cheol said I was being petty.” He got an indecipherable murmur in response. “I guess I was. I’m sorry, Hyun.” Jihoon reached back and petted her dark locks softly. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, when we’re both sober. I missed you.”

He wasn’t sure if the murmur he got was “I miss you too”, but he’d take it.

As if on cue, Jisoo slid into the driver’s seat. “Alright, let’s go.”

*****

“Did you hear-“

“Can’t believe-“

“Never seen-“

As Jihyun approached her desk, she could see Mingyu already at his, munching on a sandwich as he flipped through a file. “Something’s going on,” she told the man, a slight frown on her face. “Everyone’s gossiping about something.”

The moment she’d stepped into the building, the air felt like it was charged with electricity: everyone she’d met on her way to her desk was buzzing around with nerves, whispering to each other excitedly, but she was completely baffled. There was something going on that she had no idea about, and she didn’t like being left in the dark. 

Mingyu hummed, swallowing his sandwich. “You haven’t watched the morning news?”

“I was in a rush, so no.” She pulled out her diary, and started checking through her schedule of the day. As usual, it was deadline after deadline, with a meeting sprinkled into the mix. “You know what’s going on?”

Looking around furtively to make sure no one was eavesdropping, Mingyu wheeled over on his chair. “So you know how after The Incident-“

“I can literally hear the capitalisation,” Jihyun winced. “Must we?”

The big puppy eyes only looked at her incredulously. “It was the most beautiful takedown of the century, I nearly had tears in my eyes. So yes, we must. We must.” After a small eye roll which earned him a pinch on his arm - not like it did much harm, the man had pecs that could probably smash watermelons into juice - he continued. “So Mr. Lee and Mr. Gong started going through the lists I compiled for them, and they fired a lot of the witch’s buddies as well, right?”

Right. Jihoon had called it spring cleaning. It had ended up with their department losing 10 people in total due to The Incident - damn it, now she was doing it too - and that area of the office had been looking extremely empty for the past month. She didn’t think any of her other colleagues were feeling very saddened over the loss of their fellow comrades. The only thing that had been whined about was how everyone had to take on the files left behind. 

The office now felt...right. It wasn’t only because she could go to the office and know that she was safe from far-from-harmless pranks and jabs. It was the atmosphere in entirety, as though getting rid of the unwanted people had awakened the motivation in everyone to do their best, where they were previously hesitant to do so to avoid being on the receiving end of unwanted attention. The environment was lighter, and people were more genuine. 

Bliss. If she’d known this was how it would be without the witch, she really would have taken action much, much earlier. 

Mingyu continued in a hushed tone. “I heard that Kim Bojeon gave up his shares yesterday evening.”

Jihyun was barely surprised. “Took him a while.” She knew that Kim Yejin’s spoilt princess attitude was one that had been carefully cultivated by her parents over the years. Once The Incident happened, it was only a matter of time until Kim Bojeon left; he may have appreciated the power he had in Choi Industries, but his irrational love for his daughter would have prompted him to leave sooner or later after her ugly behaviour was exposed. After all, his daughter had been ‘insulted’ by the company; staying would have only made his princess throw tantrums, something she was certain Daddy Dearest would not want. “So that’s the gossip? I thought it was something more interesting.”

With a waggle of his eyebrows, Mingyu leaned closer. “No, that’s not the only thing. There are rumours that Choi Industries has already found someone to take on the shares left by Kim Bojeon.” He held his silence, and she gave up.

“Alright, alright, I’ll bite. Who?”

“Yoon Corporation.”

“What?”

“It was all over the news this morning, though we haven’t confirmed it. And apparently, Choi Industries will be acquiring a similar number of shares of Yoon Corporation as well. Like a fair exchange.”

“What?”

If Choi Industries was the size of Godzilla, Yoon Corporation was probably the size of the Empire State Building that Godzilla had climbed. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. In the world of Pokemon, if Choi Industries was the size of Squirtle, the cute little fluff, Yoon Corporation would be the size of Charmander. That was a fair comparison.

Yoon Corporation had been around for far longer than Choi Industries, and was established internationally as well, whereas Choi Industries had only recently began its exploration out of the country. Both were involved in the same industries, and it had always been friendly competition between them. But she didn’t realise that they were that friendly, to the extent where each were willing to hold shares of the other and allow the other to do the same.

Just thinking about the possibilities - how it could backfire, how it would do anything but backfire - were making her head throb. Shaking her head, she reached for her water bottle. It wasn’t going to fall under her job scope; the honour would go to the mergers and acquisitions team in the department. “So everyone’s been wondering about the mysterious President of Yoon Corporation, I suppose.”

“Of course.”

The previous President had stepped down roughly 5 years ago, and with the company being a family business, the throne had naturally passed to his son. However, no one, not even the paparazzi, had been able to dig out any news on the current President, not even his name. No one apart from the highest level in Yoon Corporation had seen the President ever since he took the helm. Rumour was that he resided overseas and left all business decisions to his CEO, who was the person that people met whenever they had dealings with the company. It was hardly an unusual arrangement, but the mysterious air of it all only fuelled the fire. 

“I doubt he’d appear for this. There have been way bigger acquisitions before this, and he never showed up too.” She shrugged it off, and Mingyu rolled back to his desk, still wondering out loud about the probabilities of the mysterious President turning up. 

Jihyun pulled out a blue folder from the stack on the floor. She couldn’t believe her desk had run out of space for files, and she had to resort to stacking them up on the floor beside her desk. “Dear god, didn’t I just clear a whole lot of them yesterday? How can there be no end to this?”

“If you wanted lesser files, you could’ve said so.”

“Sir.” She turned around to look at Jihoon, standing behind her with an amused smirk on his face. “No, it’s fine, I was just thinking out loud.”

“Sure?” He waved the file in his hand. “I can give this to Mr. Kim here if you’re too busy.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mingyu perk up at the mention of his name. Before the man could do anything, she snatched the file from Jihoon’s grip and gave her boss a sweet smile that promised retaliation in the very near future. “I got this.”

“The deadlines and instructions are inside the file. Also, see me in my office at 12.30 later,” Jihoon told her while passing Mingyu a different file. “I assume you’ll be able to handle another file, Mr. Kim?”

“Of course, sir,” Mingyu gave him a cheeky grin. “Maybe I’ll finish up soon enough and I can help Ms. Jung clear some of hers too.”

Behind Jihoon, Jihyun merely bared her teeth at Mingyu in a soundless growl. The man knew her possessiveness when it came to work: any file that reached her desk was her file, and she would never give any of them up, even if she had to go sleepless for three days just to finish them all. 

“Wonderful. And Mr. Kim, I want my Patisserie file in an hour,” Jihoon reminded him.

“It’s done, sir. I just need to run through a final check before passing it to Ms. Irene.”

“Good. 12.30, Ms. Jung.” Jihoon left to check on their other colleagues, and she dared to stick out her tongue at the retreating figure.

“He’s insufferable.”

“Give me the file, then.” Mingyu grinned. 

“You touch any of my files, and I’ll make sure Wonwoo has his widower outfit ready.”

Mingyu tutted, but left it there. At that moment, her phone buzzed with an incoming message.

From:

My baby worked on this for hours  
Your baby better appreciate it

To:  
Okay, ew to your last message  
But it’s really pretty  
I’ll thank Seungkwan later 

From:  
That reminds me  
I can’t join later  
Sudden meeting with a client

To:  
It’s fine  
I’ll have fun with Seungkwan  
How about Seokmin?

From:  
Min’s going to go with me

To:  
Kay  
Next time then

“Hiya, Irene. Mr. Lee said he wanted to see me at 12.30.”

The secretary beamed at her. “Ms. Jung! I’ll let him know you’re here. Also, can I just say that I’m very glad you’re finally off the No Entry list?” 

“You and me both,” Jihyun said with an exaggerated sigh. 

The day after she’d had her comfort fest with Jeonghan and Jisoo, Jihoon had finally replied to her texts, saying that he wanted to talk to her. They’d went out for dinner that night at the ramen place she’d had lunch with Jeonghan and Seokmin, and over some amazingly good food, they’d sorted out the issue between them.

Yes, both of them had their own faults. Yes, both of them were extremely sorry. No, neither one of them was willing to stay away from the other’s problems.

“We talked last night, you know,” Jihoon had told her. She’d shook her head; her mind remembered nothing after having her fifth glass of wine. Or was it her sixth? “Doesn’t matter. I just said what I just told you. But how could you drink so much?” There it was, the familiar bossy Jihoon. “Haven’t I told you multiple times not to drink more than one glass? Did your common sense take a leap off the office building?”

She’d merely rolled her eyes. “I was drinking with people I trust with my well-being. Obviously, I am fine. Stop being a fussy hen. You obviously drank way more if you needed Jisoo to drive you home.”

“Ms. Jung, go right in.” Irene’s voice interrupted her train of thought, and she gave her a smile before walking into Jihoon’s office.

“Yes?”

Jihoon put aside the file in front of him. “We’re going on a trip.”

“In your favourite rocket ship?” When the man merely gave her a baleful stare, she snorted and took a seat across him. “You’re no fun. Where, when, why?”

“Daegu, three days starting from tomorrow, conference.”

Already running through her schedule in her mind, she nodded. “I’ll need to tie some last things up by today, but I can do that. Am I going alone?”

“No, we’re going together.”

Slowly, she tilted her head. “You’re going?” Jihoon rarely attended conferences, which never required someone of his position to be there. Most companies would send out the younger and more eager counsels, perhaps with a manager to ensure that they were on track, but for him to be there... “Why am I going?” It made sense to send her on a conference; it wouldn’t be her first. But if the conference was important enough to require Jihoon’s presence as Choi Industries’ representative, the logical choice would have been another manager in their department. Certainly not one of their junior counsels. 

“Because Kang Il Song was supposed to go with Koo Chan Mi,” Jihoon said, referring to the manager of the mergers and acquisitions team. “Obviously, neither one of them can make it now.”

“So the rumours are true.”

“Seungcheol will be releasing a press statement later at 3pm,” Jihoon said casually. “But yes, we’re acquiring some shares under Yoon Corporation, and they’ll do the same.”

“If Ms. Koo is going to be busy with that, shouldn’t you be here to work on that as well?”

“I can work better there. There will be many questions that the other representatives will want to ask, especially when it’s right after the announcement, and Seungcheol and I decided that the best option would be to send me along.”

So it wasn’t the conference, it was the impression they needed to make on the other representatives. “Okay. That still doesn’t explain why I’m going along.”

Jihoon merely raised an eyebrow. “Since you’re the one who got Kang Il Song out of the company-“

“Technically, Mr. Gong and Seungcheol-“

“I thought it would be fitting to let you go in his stead,” he said, ignoring her mutter. He shot her a sardonic look. “Don’t want to?”

“Stop asking me stupid questions.” With a grumble, she stood up. “I’m meeting up with Wonwoo and Seungkwan for lunch. Do you want to come with?”

“Seungkwan is the florist at Jeonghan’s shop?” She nodded. “I can’t. There’s a lunch meeting I need to be at with Seungcheol and the representatives from Yoon Corporation.”

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“Irene will send you the details later. Finish up whatever you need for the next few days before you leave tonight.”

“It’s not my first rodeo, Ji. I know.”

*****

“Why don’t you ever get anything else on the menu?” Mingyu groaned after the server left. 

Jihyun didn’t bother glaring at him; it was energy she’d rather not waste. “Because their soufflé pancakes are amazing, Mingyu. Absolutely amazing. Would you want to date someone else after you’ve already found the love of your life?”

“How is that even a proper comparison?”

Before she could answer, Wonwoo came over and planted a gentle kiss on Mingyu’s head before sitting down, causing the six-feet-tall man to blush a brilliant shade of red. “Hey, Jihyun. Sorry we’re late.”

“It’s all my fault,” Seungkwan said as he slid into the seat across her. “Better still, let’s pin it on Jeonghan hyung, because he left me alone even though we had a last minute order to complete.” The young man rolled his eyes dramatically, and Jihyun couldn’t help chuckling.

Boo Seungkwan had a sassy personality that often clouded the considerate heart he had that made Jeonghan love him but at the same time had the urge to strangle him. Jihyun had met him a few times whenever Jeonghan brought him along for lunch, and it was terrifyingly easy to become friends with the man; he could read people extremely well, and could easily figure out the best way to make a stranger warm up to him within minutes of meeting each other. There was no space for awkwardness in Boo Seungkwan’s life. 

“Jeonghan said he had a meeting he and Seokmin needed to go to, right?”

“Yes,” Seungkwan admitted grudgingly. “But that doesn’t excuse him!” He huffed. 

“I’m sure you still did an amazing job,” she soothed. “Oh, that reminds me. Jeonghan sent me a photo of the bouquet you made for Chan. It’s gorgeous as always, Seungkwan. Thank you.”

Seungkwan’s face bloomed with pride and happiness at the compliment. “I hope he liked it! I thought it was a unique combination, pairing the orange roses with a light green-“

“I’m sorry, Seungkwan,” she interrupted, a small frown forming on her face. “Liked? You’ve already delivered it?”

He faltered. “Yeah, the delivery man picked it up around 10, and it should have been delivered already. Did you want to make some changes to it?”

Weird. Chan hadn’t sent her any messages. “No, no, Seungkwan, it’s lovely,” she assured the man. “I was just surprised it was already delivered, that’s all. That’s really efficient.”

Seungkwan looked relieved. “Oh, phew. Well, Jeonghan hyung thought that since it was already done - we both worked on it yesterday - we should deliver it earlier today.”

“I can’t wait to see it when I get home tonight,” she told the boy warmly, and he beamed. She could understand that, the pride at being acknowledged for doing a good job. 

Should she text Chan to check? But that sounded a little desperate for gratitude, which was the last thing she wanted when she’d called Jeonghan two days ago to order the flowers. “A just because surprise, huh?” Jeonghan had said as he scribbled down the order. “Those are the best.”

Maybe he was in a meeting and hadn’t had the chance to admire the flowers yet. Which would explain the radio silence from his side. Or was it possible that the delivery man had messed up with the delivery? Doubtful; Jeonghan never went wrong with hiring people, Seungkwan being a prime example. 

Whatever it was, she told herself sternly as her soufflé pancakes were served, she was not going to text him about it first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oho. So many things popped up here. The President? Chan’s silence? What’s happening?


	20. Chapter Nineteen

“I’m home!” Jihyun called out as she let herself into the apartment. The lights were on, which meant that her boyfriend was home, but she didn’t see the familiar figure in the living room. “Chan?”

“Here,” he called, and she followed his voice into their bedroom, where he was ruffling through the wardrobe with only a towel wrapped around his lower body, fresh out from the shower.

Smirking, she leaned against the doorframe, drinking in the view. “Now that’s a lovely sight to come home to.”

T-shirt in hand, he returned her smirk with his own. “Should I put this on, baby?” He purred. 

“Unfortunately, yes.” She went over and wrapped her arms around his lean waist. “I desperately need a shower. However...” a fingertip traced the curve of his back slowly, and she felt a shudder rack through him. “We’ll see what we can do about your T-shirt later.”

After a quick shower, she threw on one of Chan’s older T-shirt’s, which hit her mid-thigh due to their differences in height. She’d long resigned herself to the fact that at the petite height of 5’1, she would be shorter than 90% of the people in her life. But at that moment, as she straddled her boyfriend on their couch, his t-shirt lying on the floor, their lips busy on each other’s, and his fingers busy igniting small fires along her back, her mind was most definitely not on the sensitive topic of her height. 

Sighing, she moved downwards and nuzzled Chan’s neck, relishing in how he tilted his head upwards to give her better access. “No marks,” he breathed into her ear as his fingers shifted targets and started trailing gently along her thighs.

“I never leave marks,” she murmured with a light lick against the smooth skin. “I’m always gentle, aren’t I?” 

A soft chuckle against her ear was his reply. “Do you need me to remind you of the times you weren’t?”

“Hmm, why not,” she hummed, nursing another spot on Chan’s neck. “But before that...” She sat up straight, and he let out a grumble in protest. “Just a small intermission before we get to the good part, darling. Did you get the flowers I sent today?”

He pulled her flush against his chest in a hug. “Yes, they were gorgeous. Thank you.” Those fingers started their work on her legs again, and she had to forcefully shake her mind out of that lust-filled haze.

“Oh. Because...” she gritted her teeth as gentle fingertips skimmed the back of her knees, “I thought you hadn’t received them, since there was no message from you.”

“I was just busy with meetings.” The touch was going higher and higher, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from reacting. “Don’t worry, baby.”

Her eyes suddenly caught sight of the bouquet in question, sitting quietly on the kitchen counter. How had she missed that when she came home? She scrambled off Chan’s legs despite his vehement protests, and rushed over to take a look at the bouquet. “Just a moment, love. I’ve been waiting the whole day to admire this; Jeonghan sent me a photo but-“ she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the bouquet.

Something was off. The flowers were there, in their glorious shade of sunset, with smaller daisies here and there to add some details to the bouquet, and the pale green paper with its white ribbon were a perfect backdrop. What was-

Any lingering trace of lust was gone in an instant. “Why are there 5 roses missing?” She asked quietly, eyes scanning the bouquet and counting once again to make sure she hadn’t made a mistake. She hadn’t; where there were supposed to be 25 roses, there were only 20. Though it wouldn’t have made much of a difference, there was some extra space in between the flowers that made it stand out, and not in the way she wanted it to. 

Turning around, she looked at her boyfriend, who looked at her uncomprehendingly. “Chan?” 

He ran a hand through his rumpled hair. “Some of my colleagues were admiring the shade of the roses, saying it was really unique and pretty. So I took out some and gave it to them.”

“You what?” Incredulously, she gaped at him.

He’d given his colleagues roses that his girlfriend gave him just because they said the roses were pretty?

“It wasn’t a big deal!” He held up his hands defensively. “I mean, I thought they were really pretty too. I just wanted to share.”

“Chan.” She didn’t bother hiding her annoyance. “They were roses from your girlfriend. They could have been roses made out of gold for all I care; how could you just give them away?”

Apparently, any potential Happy Naked Fun Time was going to be struck off the schedule. Chan’s eyes darkened, but he didn’t get up. “Baby, they were just roses. I just thought that other people should get a chance to admire them too.”

“You could have given them Spring’s number,” she said as evenly as she could, with frustration bubbling in her chest. “If they really liked it that much, you could have just directed them to Spring so that they could buy some for themselves too. It was a gift from me, Chan; are you going to be giving out everything I give you just because someone else admires it?”

“Is this about the money?” He looked at her with annoyance and frustration that she was sure was mirrored in her own eyes. “Baby, look, I’ll pay you for the 5 roses that I gave away. Is that okay?”

It was as though someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her. “You really don’t get it, do you?” She asked in a small voice. “It’s not about the money. It’s about it being my gift to you. But I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She turned around and walked back to the bedroom, where she collapsed on the bed and closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very exhausted.

She heard footsteps, but instead of them leading towards the bedroom, she heard them get fainter, and the next thing she knew, she heard the front door open and close. “What the-“ She jumped out of bed, and went outside. Finding the apartment empty, she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, no. Hell, no.”

What was previously just frustration and hurt had now exploded into silent anger. She grabbed her phone, but instead of calling Chan, she dialled the first number that came to her mind, and the call was answered almost immediately. “Hyun?”

“I cannot believe he just walked out on me!”

“Why-“

“And he’s the one who’s in the wrong too! How can he just give away roses that I gave him to his colleagues just because they said the roses, quote unquote, were really unique and pretty?”

“What-“

She steamrolled over every word the person was trying to say. “Of course they were; Jeonghan and Seungkwan had been experimenting with the colour for months. But that’s not even the point! Do you know what he said when I told him he shouldn’t have done that?”

A sigh. “What did he say?”

“He said that I was just mad because of the money, and he’d pay me for the roses he gave away. Can you believe it?” She threw her hand up in frustration, pacing around the living room. “Can you even believe-“ There was suddenly a beep in her ear, and she pulled the phone away to see an incoming call from the man who she was currently ranting about. “Give me a moment,” she told the person on the other line, before taking the call. “Chan?”

“I’m not coming home anytime soon,” Chan said curtly. “Don’t wait up.” And then he hung up before she could say anything, leaving her mouth wide open, gaping at the ridiculousness of it all. 

“Why you-“

“Was that Chan?” The initial call was back on the line. “What did he say?”

“H-he said he wouldn’t be coming home soon and I don’t have to wait up,” she sputtered indignantly. “Wait up? As if I’d wait up? He can go to-“

“Hyun.” 

“Fine, I won’t say it. But I can’t believe he thinks I’m in the wrong!”

A moment of silence. “I’ll be there in 15.”

She didn’t realise she hadn’t put on any pants until the doorbell rang fifteen minutes later, shaking her out from her monologue inside her head. “Moment!” She yelled, rushing into the bedroom and frantically pulling on some comfortable pyjama shorts before rushing over to pull open the front door. There stood Jisoo, cradling a huge bottle of soju in one hand. “Thought you’d need it,” he said simply.

She stepped aside to let him in. “I have to get up early for a three-day conference. But who cares.” As Jisoo settled down on the couch, she got out two glasses from the kitchen and padded over to join him. Oh, shit. She just realised she’d yet to tell her boyfriend about the conference. “Great timing,” she muttered to herself, picking up the glass that Jisoo had filled up and gulping down a huge mouthful. 

“I can’t guarantee that I won’t punch him in the face the moment he comes back,” Jisoo informed her, taking an elegant sip of his own drink. 

“Your hands are too valuable to be wasted on throwing punches, though the thought is greatly appreciated.” she told him. Deflated, she let out a sigh. “This is so stupid. Was I wrong?”

“No, you weren’t.” Jisoo said in a serious tone. “It was inconsiderate and thoughtless of him, and you had every right to be angry and hurt. He should have listened to you, understood your viewpoint, and learn from his mistake instead of insulting you and walking out without resolving the problem.”

“So I wait for him to come home and talk it out with him?”

“Do you want to talk it out with him right now, or do you want some more time to stew? Your feelings are valid,” he added, sensing her doubt. “If you want to feel angry and hurt, you’re entitled to do so until you decide not to.”

“I don’t know, Soo.” She took another huge mouthful of the bitter drink. “It’s a small issue that shouldn’t even have blown up in the first place. I don’t think I should be getting annoyed over it anymore than I already am. I just want him to apologise and promise to never do it again.” She looked at him uncertainly. “That’s fair, right?”

Jisoo reached out to stroke her hair. “Of course. Do whatever makes you comfortable, Hyun. Have you packed for the conference?” He asked, switching topics quickly. They could revisit it later if she wanted, but right now the sadness and frustration in her eyes were stoking the ball of anger in his heart, and he needed a distraction before he could call Jeonghan and Jihoon and throw Chan to the wolves.

The man should thank his lucky stars Jihyun had called him and not the others, he thought to himself darkly, especially Jihoon. Cousin or not, Jihoon definitely would not have hesitated on throwing punches.

Jihyun was shaking her head, so Jisoo stood up and pulled her up as well. “Come on then. We can catch up while you pack.”

“You’ve been busy these past couple of weeks,” Jihyun commented as she started folding her shirts neatly and arranging them in her navy blue roller luggage. “How’s work?”

Lying on the bed, Jisoo stared at the ceiling. “Busy. Surgeries, consults, and some administrative work.”

“I didn’t know you were involved in administration.”

“They’re training me to join the board when I’m ready,” Jisoo said casually, as though it wasn’t a big deal. Jihyun, who was hardly an idiot, gaped at him. 

“That’s really great, Soo!”

“I suppose.”

Head tilted to one side, Jihyun looked at him. “You don’t want it?”

“I don’t not want it,” Jisoo corrected. “It’s just that... it feels like they’re only doing this because of Dad and Mum.”

Dr. Hong Senior and Dr. Han were on the Board of Directors of the hospital, the power couple that everyone in the hospital, from the Director to the janitor, respected. They were renowned experts in their own fields as well, and even when he was at university, his classmates often looked at him with a screen. A screen that said ‘son of Hong Yongji and Dr Stephanie Han’. 

He’d had to live with the whispers surrounding him in university, the whispers about how he only got in because of his family. And even after he’d emerged as top of their year, the whispers still continued about how he must’ve gotten some help from his parents, or how the lecturers must have shown favouritism. It was the same throughout his housemanship and even now while he was a full-fledged doctor: he was always ‘the son’ instead of a doctor in his own right, despite everything he’d done to establish himself as someone who was far more than his parents’ son.

It was why instead of following his parents’ footsteps, he’d chosen to go for paediatrics. It wasn’t because kids were easier to deal with - they were twice the amount of work, and the pain of being unable to save people who hadn’t even had the chance to experience the world always ripped him to shreds. But it was something completely unexpected of him, and that had been the strongest motivator when he had to decide on a speciality. 

“Maybe they did,” Jihyun said agreeably as she stuffed a bag of toiletries into the luggage. “But doesn’t mean you can’t show them that you’re more than that.”

“I know I can, and I will. But it...it’s frustrating, you know?” Jisoo’s fingers clenched around the blanket. “That I have to be constantly reminded of the fact that everything I have, everything I am, is because of my parents.”

There, he’d said it. And the moment he said it, he was miserable, because he felt like the world’s most ungrateful son.

Jihyun sat down beside him, and gently pried his fingers off the blanket. “Soo ya.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re not an ungrateful bastard.”

A surprised huff came out of him. She still knew him well, all the ins and outs, all the intricacies about how his mind worked. He felt himself relax; he hadn’t realised he’d tensed up. But her hand never left his. “Remember when some boys in high school started spreading rumours that we were sleeping together because we spent so much time together?”

Some bits and pieces floated to the forefront of Jisoo’s mind, but it was all blurry and vague. “I think so? But I don’t remember beating anyone up over it.”

He got an eye roll. “Soo, you’ve never gotten into a fight. Don’t act like you can’t remember it out of the many fights you had.”

A pillow flew in her direction, which she neatly caught. “What’s your point?”

“You did think about beating them up, though. With your group of friends; I can’t remember their names now.”

“Chansung, Minhyuk, Jaejun?” The four of them had been close friends ever since they were seated together on the first day of high school. They’d tried to keep in touch after graduation, but with all of them spread all over the country and with their studies occupying every free minute they had, the four had slowly drifted apart. He hadn’t thought about them for a long, long while, and a part of him felt melancholic as he recalled all their exploits. 

“Right, those guys. Anyway, you were telling me your plans, and I asked you, ‘Why does their opinion matter?’.”

A scene floated into his mind: him lying down on his bed as he ranted about something that had gotten on his nerves, a younger Jihyun with her hair in a messy bun sitting on the edge of his bed as she listened patiently, the entire scene eerily similar to their current one. “You told me...” his nose scrunched up as he concentrated hard, “The only opinions that should matter-“

“Are the opinions of people who matter to you,” she continued with a smile. “Not bad, Dr. Hong. You do remember.”

“It came back to me when you mentioned it,” he admitted.

“So whenever you feel down because of things like this - about how people see you - and you start doubting your own ability because of it, remind yourself that their opinions don’t matter. You may have gotten the board position because of your parents, or maybe you didn’t; we really wouldn’t know. But regardless of how you got there, when you get there, you’re going to do your best and show everyone what you’ve got. You’re going to do your job so well, people will say ‘Dr. Hong is an amazing director’ before they say ‘he got there because of his connections’. The second part doesn’t matter. The first part does.”

He looked at those dark eyes full of fierce determination and complete faith in him, and a smile climbed up his face. “How did I go without you for so many years, I wonder.”

She squeezed his hand, eyes still on his. “You’ll never need to wonder anymore.”

*****

The clock showed that it was currently 1.34 in the morning. Jihyun was supposed to be sleeping: not because her boyfriend had told her not to wait up, but because she had to be up in less than 3 hours. She’d tried, but after tossing and turning for a whole hour, the frustration in her chest had bubbled up perilously close to the burning point, she’d given up.

So here she was, sitting in the living room, a book in her hand, trying to think of anything but her boyfriend who still wasn’t home.

The part of her that had been grumbling earlier that Chan could disappear and she wouldn’t give a damn had long disappeared, replaced by a mind full of worry and unease. It was past midnight, and the streets weren’t particularly safe. She didn’t know how many times her fingers had tapped out a ‘where are you?’ text, nor had she counted the number of times she had almost pressed the ‘call’ button but had stopped herself at the very last moment.

He was a man who needed his space, and she was supposed to respect that.

If anything happened, well, that was on him.

The front door suddenly opened, and she looked up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. In walked the man that had been occupying her mind for the past few hours, looking a little tired and weary, but he was alive. 

He stopped at the kitchen when he saw her sitting in the living room. “I thought I told you not to wait up,” he said awkwardly.

“I forgot to tell you I’ll be on a business trip for the next three days,” she replied, and was inwardly surprised at how steady her voice was, giving away no hint of the emotional turmoil inside her chest. “So can we talk about what happened now, or do you want to wait until I get back?”

Chan bit his lip, a sign of his nerves, and sighed. “I’m kinda tired. Can we-“

“Alright.” She stood up, and walked past him into the bedroom, settling herself down on her side of the bed and pulling the blanket over herself, careful to leave enough for her boyfriend. She felt the mattress sink slightly, and even without turning around could tell that her boyfriend was looking at her. “Yes?”

He was silent for a moment before he spoke up. “We’re good, right?”

Subconsciously, she wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, and blinked a few times, even though it wasn’t as though she could see anything in the darkened room. “Sure, Chan. We’re good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chan :( also, brotherly Jisoo is all I want in my life.


	21. Chapter Twenty

The black company car pulled up in front of her building at 5am sharp. Jihyun gave the driver a quick smile as he went to stow her luggage away, and she slid into the backseat, where Jihoon was already awake and alert in his usual business suit, a cup of coffee from one of the 24-hour places around the city in his hand. Wordlessly, he pointed to an identical cup sitting in the cupholder between their seats, and she mumbled her thanks before grabbing the warm cup.

Like Jihoon, she was a morning person. They might not be in the mood to do the Macarena when they woke up, but their minds were capable of forming coherent thoughts even before their first cup of coffee. Jihyun didn’t need a coffee boost in the mornings unless she was running earlier than usual like today, a result of her coffee trauma. During spring break, when she had only drank one cup of coffee in the morning, she’d been so groggy for the entire day she had to down a few more cups just to be able to get her body to respond to her commands, even though her day consisted of nothing but lounging around and reading books that were anything but law textbooks. When she realised it was a coffee addiction, a result of her drinking at least 5 cups of coffee per day especially during final exams, she’d been so horrified that she’d went on a complete coffee fast. The withdrawal symptoms had been taxing on her body, which had relied on caffeine too heavily to function normally, but since it was a rare break where she’d given herself permission not to look for a job but to take a real break, she hadn’t suffered too badly.

Jihoon, on the other hand, lived on caffeine in the form of coffee and Coke, despite not exactly needing it. To him, it was a matter of want, not need. Newcomers to the office were often given the warning “don’t talk to Mr. Lee until he’s had his coffee”, and it was a rule everyone followed religiously. Jihoon would never hesitate in biting someone’s head off for saying anything to him that required a response before he had his first dose of caffeine, ‘hi’ included. It wasn’t as though he truly needed it to function; it was just his sweet temperament. 

Getting off at the train station, both of them gave the driver a bow of thanks before heading over to their train, which was already in the station. The station and the train were both fairly empty, which wasn’t unusual, considering the fact that it was 4.30 in the morning. Also, they were a whole half an hour early. However, neither of them felt annoyed at the extra time they could have used to sleep a little longer; the two of them may have always cut it close when they were meeting up with their friends, but they were obsessed with being early whenever it came to business.

Jihoon sighed as he set aside his now-empty cup of coffee. “Spill.”

“I didn’t,” she clarified, holding up her own cup. 

“No, idiot, I didn’t mean the coffee. There’s something on your mind, so spill.”

She didn’t even bother trying to evade the question; the man knew her too well anyway. So out it all came. By the end of it, Jihoon was shaking his head slowly. “Idiot,” he muttered.

“Better not be me,” she warned. 

“At this moment, it’s my cousin. Dense.”

She pointed a finger at him. “Don’t think I don’t know what you were implying. But yes, that’s what I said!” A man who was just boarding the train shot a dirty look in her direction at the loud exclamation, and she mumbled an apology. 

“But it’s not an issue,” Jihoon mused. “Not an ‘I’m going to dump your ass and ruin your life’ kind of issue.”

“I know. I’m not mad anymore.” The anger and annoyance had died down, but it didn’t mean the hurt had followed in their footsteps. And damn it, she was entitled to feel hurt over the fact that her boyfriend saw her gift to him as something that could be given away to random people without any hesitation. “I just need to smoothen it out with him after this trip. Then we’ll be fine.”

Jihoon opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, but swallowed it back at the last moment. Sighing, she asked, “What?”

She could see him weighing the pros and cons before he spoke. “I heard that Chan didn’t propose during your anniversary.”

A couple of people walked past their seats as they made their way down the aisle, giving her some time to organise her thoughts. “No,” she said quietly, looking down at her coffee, “he didn’t.”

“I didn’t know you wanted to get married.”

Uncomprehendingly, she stared at Jihoon. “I’m dating Chan. I’m in love with the man, dense as he is. Why wouldn’t I marry him?”

Jihoon looked as though he was going to say something, but switched it out at the very last moment. “Of course.”

Even until today, she wasn’t sure if it was normal for her to feel nothing. The initial disappointment had disappeared the next day, and she hadn’t even thought about the entire issue until Jihoon brought it up. Was it because she wasn’t ready to settle down yet? But if Chan had popped the question that night, she would have said yes. Didn’t that mean she was ready?

She switched tracks. “How about you? Planning on marrying Hyeri anytime soon?”

A huff. “No. We both want some more years of freedom. Plus, it’ll harm her career if she gets married now. But a few years down the road...” Jihoon looked out the window, staring at nothing in particular. “Sure.”

Part of her wanted to protest vehemently and tell Jihoon he deserved better. But she knew it was because of her leftover prejudice towards Hyeri from their previous dealings about her ongoing contract. She may be Jihoon’s friend, but she knew it wasn’t her place to tell him who to date, unless the other person was a psychotic murderer on the run. And perhaps Hyeri was a nice woman; after all, she’d agreed to date Jihoon, who was one of the most difficult people to deal with, what with his stellar sunshine personality. She hadn’t spent much time with the woman to get a fair assessment. Perhaps she should suggest some double dates after this trip. 

But the first thing on her to-do-list after this trip was to set everything right in her own relationship. 

*****

She’d managed to stay awake instead of dozing off during the train ride, knowing that she’d wake up feeling more tired if she took a nap. Even with less than three hours of sleep the previous night, she was still holding up. Plus, the lack of sleep didn’t show on her face, which was the main point. All hail the almighty concealer, saviour of sleep-deprived humans. 

The cab ride to the hotel where the conference was being held was relatively short, and she used that time to send Mingyu some texts about her files. He replied with an enthusiastic thumbs up, and she relaxed. The man was playful, but he was always serious when it came to work.

She didn’t bother admiring the opulent design of the grand hotel lobby as she settled the check in for their hotel rooms. The conference started at 10, and they only had less than an hour to freshen up and go mingle with the rest of the attendees before the event started. Luckily, the receptionist she dealt with seemed to sense her need to hurry up, and had efficiently dealt with her check in before passing her two separate keycards.

Both keycards facing downwards, she held them out for Jihoon to pick, and he drew the one on her left without looking. “1122,” he read.

“Mine’s 1120 next to yours.” They got into the elevator, where Jihoon swiped his keycard and pressed ‘11’. “Conference is going to be held in the main ballroom on the 7th floor. What time do you want to be there?”

They exited the elevator on the 11th floor, and took a left down the carpeted hallway, which was silent. Either the guests were all out, or the hotel had excellent soundproofing. She believed it was both. 

Jihoon stopped in front of the door that had the numbers ‘22’ painted neatly in gold on it, and checked his watch. “Take 15 minutes to do whatever you want. I’ll meet you here. Remember to bring some more pens for me; the ones they always give us are shitty.”

“Sure. See you.” She knocked three times on her door - superstition or not, she wasn’t going to risk it - before swiping the keycard and stepping in.

The room was the basic minimal room for business travellers: one double bed in the middle of the room with the classic white bedsheets, tan curtains that were neatly tied up with a sheer white layer covering the windows, bathing the room in gentle sunlight but giving her the privacy she wanted. There was a small TV, a study table, and a mini fridge in between the two. The bathroom was clean, which was all she needed. She settled her luggage beside the bed - it was only two nights, she wouldn’t bother unpacking anything - and double-checked her supplies in her tote. 

Notepad, check. Diary, check. Powerbank, check. The dozen of pens she’d swiped out from the office yesterday before leaving, check. 

She gave herself a few more minutes to leisurely browse through her social media feed again - which was much more interesting than it was at 5 in the morning - before grabbing her tote, slipping on her pumps and heading out.

Jihoon came out of his room almost at the same moment, and he just nodded at her. “Okay, so, any questions before we go down?”

“You know people are going to ask about the Yoon Corporation acquisition matter. What’s safe to divulge and what isn’t?” Granted, she knew next to nothing about that matter, but it wasn’t as though the other attendees knew that. If she admitted that she wasn’t working on the file and claimed that she was clueless, they might assume that she was just evading to hide something, which could end up in a PR nightmare, or could boost the interest in Choi Industries, depending on how the gossip started spreading.

Jihoon fidgeted with his tie. “Say that it’s going to happen officially in about a month, and the shares acquired and to be sold are going to be equal on both sides. There’s no monopoly issue, and we’ve consulted multiple experts on this before making the decision. Anything about the matters that were divulged in the press release yesterday can be discussed, but no speculation, just facts. If you hear any, especially ridiculous ones, either divert or cut them off at the neck.”

They entered the lift, and she pressed ‘7’. “Everyone will want to know whether the President of the Yoon Corporation will be directly involved in the matter.” She looked at Jihoon who was now fussing with his cuffs, and started feeling curious. Something was making Jihoon nervous, but what? The conference? Doubtful. The questions they were going to be bombarded with? Unlikely. But what else was there? “Ji? Are you feeling okay? You seem a bit off.”

He blinked at her, and stopped tugging at his cuffs. “I’m fine. No, tell them the President won’t be involved. Play the ‘it’s an acquisition like every other’ card.” The elevator doors slid open, revealing a sea of people in black and white. “Ready?”

“Ready if you are.”

*****

Jihyun dragged her mentally and physically body out of her room, the luggage following behind her looking brighter than she did. Already waiting in the hallway, Jihoon snorted when he saw her. “You look terrible.”

“Gee, thanks.” She rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I can’t believe my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Can’t you smile a little so that I don’t have to?” For the last two days, Jihoon had pulled on his Scary Jihoon mask, which was the most effective people repellent; only some of the more senior counsels who were there and had previous dealings with him had dared to approach him, and even then they kept it to a minimum.

In contrast, she played the role of the friendly junior counsel from Choi Industries that was ‘the approachable one’. Counsels that she’d met at previous conferences and through their work had clamoured all over her, not only eager to catch up, but also to test the waters to see if she’d reveal anything interesting about the acquisitions. Between trying to tell them what she could while making sure it sounded like extremely exclusive news, and carefully getting rid of any fake gossip before it could spread while making sure she didn’t offend anyone, she just wanted a break from having to deal with any more people.

“And give up the peace? Hell no,” Jihoon dismissed the notion, despite her protesting whine. “Only two more hours left, suck it up. Plus, you know you owe me from yesterday.”

“See me shove it up your ass the moment I get an opportunity,” she muttered, stomping into the elevator and pressing ‘G’. Although there was a final session left, they needed to check out before 11am, hence the luggages. Since the hotel was mostly occupied by conference attendees, there was a long queue in front of the reception counter. Apparently, everyone was leaving on that day, with no plans to extend their stay. 

She was in no mood to queue up, and apparently neither was Jihoon. He’d approached one of the bellboys, and after a short conversation with Jihoon slipping the boy a bill and both their keycards, he walked back to where Jihyun was waiting. “He’ll do it for us,” Jihoon said simply.

“You know, he could just pocket the money and not check us out,” Jihyun pointed out as they went back to the elevators. “Then we’d have to pay the ridiculous late check-out fee. Or what if he doesn’t check us out until a few days later, and we have to pay for the extra nights?”

“That could happen,” Jihoon agreed affably. “Or it wouldn’t and we’d check out on time without having to queue, because I recorded the deal on my phone, with his name and employee number. Stop being an idiot.”

“This idiot supplied you with smooth pens for the past two days,” Jihyun muttered, plastering a big smile on her face before following Jihoon out of the elevator. Last two hours, she told herself. 120 minutes. She could do this.

*****

“I’m pretty sure no one was listening to the speaker,” Jihyun whispered to Jihoon as they filed out of the ballroom. “At least, not the people to my right. They were busy talking about how who was sleeping with who for the past two nights. To be fair, it was much more interesting.”

Jihoon perked up. “Tell me all about it later when we get on the train.” 

“Mmm. How are we - oh, it’s raining.” The skies were a murky grey, and she could barely make out the convenience store right across the hotel with the heavy shower. 

Sighing, Jihoon passed her his luggage. “Wait here. I’ll see about getting us a cab.”

“Kay.” She rolled both luggages over to the side of the huge glass doors, where she wouldn’t be in the way, and stifled a yawn as she let her gaze float lazily across the crowded lobby, which was full of the conference attendees waiting to leave the hotel. Fortunately for her, no one had noticed her in her corner, which meant that she could let her aching cheeks rest. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a swish of a black coat, and turned around instinctively. The coat belonged to a man who was heading towards the reception counter, leaving behind another man beside her who was in business attire, but she was sure she hadn’t seen him at the conference. He would have been hard to miss; his strikingly sharp jawline and attractive side profile meant that this was an extremely gorgeous man that would have definitely been the centre of attention had he been at the conference. Part of her wished he had; it would have greatly cut down on the attention she’d received. With a small sigh, she turned her attention back to the lobby, where she had difficulty finding Jihoon amongst the sea of people. But given that they were both vertically challenged, it was hardly surprising. 

She heard mutters of ‘rain’ and ‘trying to get a cab but the queue is damn long’ from her companion, and she turned to him. He had just put down his phone, and there was a small frown on his face. Politely, she asked, “The rain is an inconvenience, isn’t it?”

He turned towards her, annoyance clear in his eyes. “Indeed. My meeting was only a street away, and my assistant and I were planning to walk over. Now we can’t, and by the time I get a cab, I’ll be unfashionably late for my meeting.”

“The concierge should have some umbrellas you could borrow,” she suggested. “Though you’d probably still be dripping wet by the time you get there, at least your head will be dry and clear, which is the point, isn’t it?”

The man perked up with interest, and excused himself to check with the concierge, only to come back empty-handed. “No umbrellas are left,” he reported. “They were all snatched up when it started raining.”

“Oh.” Suddenly, she remembered her trip to the convenience store yesterday night, and pulled open her tote. Sure enough, it was there. She pulled out the black umbrella which was bigger than the usual foldable umbrella but fit into her tote perfectly, and passed it to the man. “Here, take this.”

He was already shaking his head. “No, it’s fine-“

“It’s not really worth a lot,” she said, amused at his automatic response. “I just got it from the convenience store across the road yesterday. And you need it more than I do. You really don’t want to be late to your meeting, do you?” She added, knowing that would change his mind. 

And he did, the earlier frustration ebbing out of him as he reached out and took the umbrella. “It’s very convenient to bring around,” he said politely, checking out the umbrella. 

She grinned; the umbrella looked tiny in his hands, and she doubted it would keep the tall man dry from the rain. “You don’t need to be polite; I know I’m short.”

Jihoon chose that moment to appear, a cab ticket in hand. “We have to go, otherwise we’re going to be late,” he said curtly, grabbing his luggage and walking away.

Jihyun gave the man who had her umbrella a quick bow. “I hope you get to your meeting on time!” She called out as she followed Jihoon out of the door, bravely running through the downpour before quickly sliding into the cab waiting upfront for them.

The black coat man walked over to the corner Jihyun had just vacated, flustered. “Boss, I’m sorry, I can’t get a cab-“

The man held up his black umbrella. “No matter. I’ll head over to the office; you can stay here and get some work done.”

Suspiciously, his assistant eyed the umbrella. “Where’d you get this? You could sell this to any of the people here and earn triple the amount you spent on it.”

“Someone gave it to me, and I’m going to be using it to earn myself a whole lot more money.” He sailed out of the door, umbrella in hand, oblivious to the envious glances he was getting, leaving behind his assistant who snorted and headed up to his room to follow his boss’s orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guesses on the mysterious man and his assistant?


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

From:  
(photo attached)

To:  
Baby  
I’m at work  
This is not going to make me productive 

From:  
That’s the point  
They’re giving me this when I’m done  
I’ll wear it on our next date

To:  
Tomorrow?

From:  
I have an interview  
You sure you can’t be earlier tonight?  
I’m going to be alone

To:  
The conference’s till 6 baby  
I’ll only be home by midnight

From:  
Night after tomorrow?

To:  
Sure baby  
Gtg

Jihoon put his phone away, and downed the last of his coffee. In the seat across him, Jihyun was yawning into her mouth as she tapped out a message on her phone. Patiently, he waited until she was done before asking, “Are you going to ask the driver to drop you off at the office?”

She shook her head. “Home. Most of my files due tomorrow are already done. Mingyu also just told me that he’s already helped me finalise my files due today, so I don’t need to go into the office for-“ she let out a huge yawn before she continued, “today. I’ll just go in earlier tomorrow morning to settle off the rest.”

He nodded absently. “Alright. You do look like you need the rest.”

Jihoon was sure Jihyun was sending him an extremely indignant glare, but he didn’t acknowledge it, his mind going back to the photo Hyeri had just sent him. It was a mirror selfie of her in a siren red body-hugging dress, which was held up by two extremely fragile-looking red straps, and he was sure that if it were any shorter she would be cited for indecent public exposure the moment she walked out of her apartment. It basically left nothing to the imagination, and he shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The effect on him was damnably frustrating, considering the fact that being the lucky guy who got to see the top model naked on a regular basis, he didn’t need his imagination.

“Ji?” Jihyun was calling him. “What on earth are you thinking about? Ji?” She waved her hand in front of his face, and he blinked a few times before smacking it away.

Suspiciously, she narrowed her eyes. “I know that look. Why are you thinking dirty thoughts?”

He choked, any last lingering traces of said thoughts disappearing immediately. “I wasn’t!” 

“Uh huh.”

“I was thinking about how I was going to surprise Hyeri by cooking her dinner tonight,” he retorted. It had been his plan all along, which was why he hadn’t told Hyeri that the conference ended at 1, and he’d actually be home by 5.

It was Jihyun’s turn to blink a few times. “You want to cook?” She asked disbelievingly. “What, you’re going to feed your girlfriend ramen? I mean, I’m sure she’ll appreciate the effort, but it’s going to make her bloat.”

Jihoon snarled at her. “I know how to cook!”

“Yeah, ramen,” Jihyun agreed. “And like I said-“

“What’s so difficult about cooking, anyway?” He sniffed. “I’ll Google some easy recipes and whip it up. You’re telling me I can run a department but I can’t cook?” He raised an eyebrow, daring Jihyun to challenge him.

She didn’t even hesitate. “That is exactly what I’m telling you.”

Lee Jihoon never backed away from a challenge. “I am going to ask the driver to drop me off at the grocery store near my place,” he said slowly, enunciating each word, “and I am going to cook the best meal my girlfriend has ever tasted, and you’ll eat your words, Hyun.”

“At least I don’t have to eat your cooking,” she returned, and earned herself a flick on the forehead. “Ow, damn it! Do you not remember you trying to cook when I was sick in uni?”

He did, vividly, because it was the only time he’d attempted to cook something. Seungcheol had laughed his ass off when Jihyun called him two hours later asking him to come and bring Jihoon home, because the smell of his cooking had managed to do what flu meds hadn’t - unblocked her stuffed nose, and had made her next door neighbours knock on the door to ask ‘whether there was something dead in the sewers’. “That was then, this is now,” he said as dignifiedly as he could.

He swore that was pity in Jihyun’s eyes. “Right.”

*****

Jihoon carefully balanced his precious bag of fresh ingredients on top of his luggage as he unlocked his front door, which slid open soundlessly. After placing the bag on top of the coffee table by the door and making sure it wouldn’t topple over, only then did he slide his luggage inside and shut the door.

The first thing he noticed was that the lights were on. Frowning, he wondered if Hyeri had came over while he was gone and had forgot to shut off the lights, until he saw a familiar pair of heels casually lying to his right. Hyeri was here? He opened his mouth to call out for her, but his voice died in his throat when he noticed an unfamiliar pair of loafers a short distance away from the heels. 

He could hear his own heartbeat as he silently removed his own loafers and placed them neatly on one side. Maybe Hyeri had a friend who had a bathroom emergency and was nearby, he told himself as calmly as he could. The kitchen and living room were empty as he passed by and gave the spaces a quick sweep. Maybe Hyeri had a friend who had a wardrobe emergency and needed a shirt. One step forward, another step forward. 

As he stood in front of his bedroom door which was shut, and listened to those familiar yet unfamiliar noises coming from within, he heard a crack, and he was sure it was the thing in his chest that he had given wholly to the woman he thought he would one day marry.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, listening to those sounds, numb and unmoving. But when he came back to his senses, trying to think through the pain in his chest, he took out his phone, and started a video recording. His left hand trembled slightly while he held the phone upright, and he put his right hand on the doorknob, which was slippery under his sweaty palm. 

You have to see, he told himself. You need to see.

With a deep breath, he pushed the door open. And as the couple on the bed tore themselves apart from each other with surprised shrieks, he stared at their faces and felt his heart shatter. 

*****

Jihyun was rummaging through the fridge, trying to figure out what to cook for Chan when he came home from work later. A peace offering, for their... disagreement three days earlier. It was a disagreement that definitely did not deserve any more time from both of them, and she was hoping that her cooking would soften up her boyfriend if he were adamant on thinking otherwise. 

“I could make some soup,” she muttered, pulling out some tomatoes and potatoes. “Yeah, could definitely make some soup.”

She heard her phone vibrating on the kitchen counter, and grabbed the ingredients before shutting the fridge door. Jihoon? Probably needed help cooking, she snorted. “Hey, Ji. How’s the cooking going?” She teased as she put the tomatoes and potatoes in a bowl. 

The silence on the other side knitted her eyebrows together. “Ji? Come on, it can’t be that bad.”

“Jihyun.” Jihoon said, “Come over to my apartment. Right now.”

And it was the way he had said it, in an overly even and calm tone, that made something uneasy slither down her spine, and she didn’t even hesitate as she disconnected the call, grabbed her wallet, and ran out of her apartment.

Jihoon’s apartment was roughly 15 minutes away from hers by car. She took one look at the jammed up roads, and started running down the streets, dodging and weaving past the pedestrians and ignoring the bewildered looks they all gave her. When she finally stood in front of Jihoon’s door, sweaty and out of breath, she didn’t bother knocking, but slid her key into the keyhole and let herself in. The empty front hallway made her heart race faster, and she didn’t think it was possible, not when she was already gasping for air from her run through the streets. “Ji?” She called out as she kicked off her slippers, and started walking into the apartment. “Ji, where are you-“

She stopped when she came to the living room, and saw Jihoon there, sitting on his armchair, with Hyeri and - Chan? What was he doing here? - sitting on the longer couch. “Jihoon?” She asked, confused. “Why did you call me over?”

It was only then she realised that the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Hyeri’s beautiful face was tear-stained, her eyes red and swollen, her hair messy and rumpled. Chan hadn’t even looked at her; his head was bowed down, his hands together on his lap. 

Jihoon said softly, “Guess what I found when I came home?” And she looked at the empty eyes, heard his hoarse voice, and she felt the ground pulled away from her under her feet as she pieced together the broken pieces and the truth surfaced. It was sheer stubbornness and determination that had her forcibly steadying herself, even though her head was spinning.

“Tell me, Ji.” Her voice was as soft as Jihoon’s. “What lovely scene did you witness when you came home?”

“The woman I love in bed with my favourite cousin, who’s supposed to be in love with you, Hyun.” 

Tears were rolling down Hyeri’s cheeks again, but she didn’t wipe them away as she stared defiantly at Jihoon, who was looking at Jihyun. 

“Well,” Jihyun mused, her tone laced with ice and frost. “Well, well, well.”

Break down later, she ordered herself, shoving away the part of her that wanted to weep, shoving away the pain of having her heart being literally ripped to shreds, shoving away the ‘why?’ that threatened to bubble out of her. You are Jung Jihyun, and you do not break, not here, not now. Not when Jihoon needs you.

She dialled a number on her phone, and after a short murmured conversation, proceeded to dial another number. 

“Jihyun!” Jeonghan’s cheerful voice greeted her. “I’m with Jisoo now, where are you? Shall we-“

“Can you go over to my apartment right now?” She asked, and Jeonghan replied with an enthusiastic ‘of course’ before asking, “Why? Are we having dinner together?”

She looked at Chan directly as she said, “I need you to help me take out the trash.” Chan visibly flinched, though he still refused to look up. 

It was suddenly Jisoo on the other end of the line. “What did he do?” Jisoo asked coldly.

She chuckled humourlessly. “15 minutes.”

“We’ll be there,” Jisoo said curtly, and ended the call. Jihyun pocketed her phone, and walked over to where Chan was sitting, crouching down in front of him. His face was still lowered, but she knew he could see her. “You have 15 minutes to get there, 30 minutes to pack and get out.” She said in a gentle saccharine tone, which fooled no one. 

He looked up at her, his face haggard. “Can we talk? Please?” 

Angelic smile still in place, she looked him directly in the eyes, and simply said: “No.”

She didn’t bother with another glance as Chan left, and she turned to Hyeri. “I would presume that by the way you’re just sitting there with no protests of innocence, you have no valid defence. Now,” Jihyun jerked her thumb in the direction of the front door, “get out.”

The model didn’t move from her seat. “Not before I talk to Jihoon.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to you, and it would have been obvious from the way he hasn’t talked to you ever since I got here. You’re just too dumb to get the hint, and he’s too polite to say it to your face.” Jihyun said pleasantly. Indeed, even now, Jihoon was still silent in the chair, his eyes vacant, but she knew how he was feeling, which would be the exact mirror of how she was feeling at that very moment.

Churlishly, the model crossed her arms and stuck out her chin. “I’m his girlfriend. And I’m not leaving until I talk to him.”

Jihyun’s left eyebrow winged up. “Seriously? I don’t think you understand what’s happening, Hyeri. To make it easier for you, what with your lack of brains, you cheated, end of story. You don’t have any right to talk to Jihoon. None of us want to listen to your worthless explanations either,” she added witheringly. 

“I concur. Get out, Hyeri.” A cold voice rang from behind her, but Jihyun didn’t turn around as Seungcheol strode into the room, looking like the avenging angel he was with the rage pumping off him as he arrowed straight to Jihoon’s side. “Otherwise, I’m calling Security. Don’t think I won’t,” he warned as she opened her mouth to protest. “Remember who you work under, and if you don’t walk out that door this instant, I will make it my personal agenda to ruin your miserable life for as long as you live.”

Hyeri was dumb enough to cheat, but she wasn’t dumb enough to commit career suicide, and everyone in the room knew it. With a hateful glare, she left.

“Cheol.” Jihyun called softly. “A word, please.”

Although he was reluctant to leave Jihoon’s side, the man nodded and walked to the kitchen to join her after murmuring something in Jihoon’s ear. “I’m going to stay here,” Seungcheol told her, worry and anger evident in his tone. “If he can’t stand it, I’ll take him to my place. But I’ll take care of him.”

“Alright.” She’d expected no less.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, Cheol.” She told him about Jihoon’s call to her, and how she’d ran all the way to his apartment only to find out that Hyeri had been cheating on him. “But please take care of him. I-I need to go home.” 

Surprised, Seungcheol looked at her. “You’re leaving Jihoon? I thought-“

“Hyeri was cheating on Jihoon with-with Chan.” She took another deep breath, fighting the wave of pain that washed over her as she forced the words out. She heard Seungcheol’s deep intake of breath, and the next moment, she found herself enveloped in a warm embrace. “I’m so sorry, Hyun,” Seungcheol whispered over and over again as he patted her back, and she nearly fell apart right there and then, a familiar lump forming in her throat. 

“Not now, Cheol. Can’t.” She managed to croak, and she knew he understood as he pulled her away and scrutinised her. 

“Shall I call Jeonghan or Jisoo for you?”

“I already called them; they should be at my apartment now.” 

Nodding, he gave her a pat on the shoulder. “I need to go back to Jihoon now. My driver’s still downstairs; go down and tell him to take you home. And Hyun?” He called out before she left the kitchen, and she turned around to look at him questioningly. “I’m here for you as well. Don’t forget that.”

*****

When he got to the apartment, Jisoo and Jeonghan were already standing outside, their gazes guarded as they noticed him. 

Jisoo held out his hand. “Keys.”

Wordlessly, Chan fished the familiar keys that had been his for the past two years out of his pocket, and dropped it into Jisoo’s outstretched hand. 

Letting themselves into the apartment, Jeonghan and Jisoo trailed into the living room, and Chan followed uncertainly, standing by the entrance as the two men settled down on the couch.

Jeonghan spoke first. “Kindly enlighten us on why Jihyun is kicking you out of the apartment.”

“I cheated on her.” Chan said quietly, his eyes looking around the apartment that he’d be seeing for the last time, fists clenched by his side as he waited for the punch he knew he deserved. 

Surprisingly, both of them made no move to hit him, though their expressions morphed into identical looks of cold fury and contempt, twin masks to each other. “How,” was all Jeonghan said through gritted teeth. 

“She-I-“ Chan ran a restless hand through his hair. He had pride, and having to say it out loud was a reminder of how bastardly, how shameless he’d been. “It was Hyeri. Jihoon came home and...” the sentence trailed into silence. 

A subtle look was shared between the two, and Jeonghan moved out of the living room, presumably to contact Seungcheol. Chan didn’t care anymore. He was numb, and his mind was a turmoil of emotions: guilt, shame, fear, anger, and as unreasonable as it sounded, defiance.

“I can’t punch you, as much as I want to,” Jisoo said softly, though the underlying tone was deadly. “Simply because my hands are meant to heal, not to hurt. But I won’t hold Jeonghan back when he does. You miserable excuse of a man.” The last sentence was said with disgust. “Go pack whatever belongs to you, and get out.”

“Technically, I pay half the rent.” Calmly, Chan stood where he was. “So-“

“No, you don’t.” Jihyun’s voice came from the doorway, and they swivelled around to look at her. “You haven’t been paying rent for a lot of months, Chan. And even if you were, I’d still kick you out and pay-“

“What do you mean I haven’t been paying rent?” He interrupted, confused. “The transfer’s automated; you should have told me if there was a problem.”

She laughed, the sound hollow. “I’ve been transferring the money back to you every month. Because I thought you were going to propose, and I wanted to help you save up for a ring. So I’ve been taking on extra workload to handle our monthly rent by myself.” Bitterly, she looked away. “Turns out I was worried about the wrong thing. So pack your things, and get out.”

Before Chan could snap out of his stunned state, Jeonghan had appeared and manoeuvred him towards the bedroom with a firm hand on his shoulder. Instantly, she was engulfed in Jisoo’s arms, disintegrating any remaining self-control she had.

Jisoo felt his own heart crack open at the sight of Jihyun sobbing quietly into his chest, her entire body shaking as he gently patted her on the back, and rested his chin on top of her head. “There, there,” he murmured soothingly. “I’m here.”

A few minutes later, the sobs subsided, replaced by deep breaths to calm herself down. “I’m sorry about your shirt,” she mumbled, but still staying where she was.

“It’s fine,” he hummed. “When?”

She knew the question he was asking. “I don’t know. I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Do you want to, now?” He caught her past tense reference easily, familiar with how her mind worked. He knew that she would want to have a final talk for closure, even if it would end up in more heartbreak. But he would be there to pick up the pieces, no matter what.

Jeonghan had came back, and walked over to give Jihyun a comforting rub on her back. He shot Jisoo a look that clearly said ‘we need to talk’, before addressing Jihyun. “We won’t force you if you don’t want to, Hyun. We’ll get him out.”

“It’s fine.” Her voice was hoarse from the crying jag, but her eyes were clear. “I’ll go talk to him.”

“Do you-“

She shook her head before Jisoo could finish. “I’m okay. Um, just... wait here, I guess.”

Chan’s open luggage on the bed was already half-full, with another one already waiting by the bedroom door. He didn’t stop packing his things into the luggage, but she knew he’d sensed her arrival. She didn’t go into the bedroom any further, lingering by the door. “When?”

“A few months.”

“How many? I know you know,” she said tonelessly. “Just say it.”

Chan was silent for a moment as he put a magazine into the bag. “Since her birthday. But we just talked for a long time, I swear. Went out for some meals as friends, only as friends. Talked to each other about work. I convinced her to take the share you’d offered her. The...the sleeping thing only started last month.”

A fresh burst of pain exploded in her chest; she didn’t believe it was possible to feel more pain than what she was already suffering. But her tone was even as she asked, “Why?”

“Because she understood how it was like, having a workaholic as a partner,” he breathed. “All those forgotten dates, lying in bed alone waiting for you to come home, coming second to your work - she understood it all. And that was why we clicked, why we started talking. Because she knew how lonely it was.”

“Have you ever thought about how my workaholic habit was for our future?” she countered. By the stiffening of his spine, she could see he hadn’t. Weary, she didn’t say any more, and neither did he. Both of them knew that the relationship was at its end, and nothing they could say would resuscitate it. 

Chan zipped the luggage shut, and lowered it onto the floor, avoiding her gaze as he grabbed the other luggage. Before he walked out the room, she said, “I hope she was worth it.”

He faltered for a moment, but didn’t reply as he made his way out. She didn’t follow, choosing to lean against the door, staring at the room that looked so unfamiliar now, with Chan’s books and figurines gone from his bedside table, with only her own clothes remaining in the closet, with his otter plush toy missing from its usual spot on their bed.

When she heard the front door open and close again, she walked out to see Jisoo fussing over Jeonghan’s hand. “You punched him?” She asked, though unsurprised. She was only surprised Chan didn’t already have a black eye when she arrived. 

“Someone had to,” Jeonghan hissed as Jisoo placed a small bag of ice on his knuckles. He took hold of the ice bag, and Jisoo went over to stand beside Jihyun by the windows. She looked forlorn, mind occupied, and Jisoo didn’t say anything, only giving her his quiet company. 

“I can’t stay here,” Jihyun whispered, more to herself than to Jisoo. Chan’s things were already gone, but everything else reminded her of him: the couch where they’d snuggled and cuddled, the curtains that they’d chosen together, even the damn pink mug he’d gotten her to match with his sky blue one. It hurt to be there, knowing that it was no longer their apartment, and for a moment she considered giving the tenancy to Chan, so that she wouldn’t need to live with the memories hiding in every nook and cranny.

“I’m not letting you stay here,” Jisoo said matter-of-factly. “Go on and pack. We’re going home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This hurt me to write :( before you attack me for putting Chan in such a position, remember that this is merely fictional. I thought that he would have best fit the profile I wanted for Jihyun’s boyfriend here.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

Seungcheol put down his phone, and groaned as he stretched in his office chair. It wasn’t even noon yet, and he already wanted to grab a drink at Highlight. That was how badly his day was going. 

He’d spent his morning answering calls from their shareholders, who were all worried about how the deal with Yoon Corporation was going to affect them. He had soothed ruffled feathers, fielded difficult questions, defused potential bombs. No wonder he felt like a drink.

Highlight was open during lunch hours anyway. Perhaps he should ask Jeonghan to join him. 

But before he could text Jeonghan, the intercom rang. “Mr. Choi.”

“Yes, Wendy?” He listened to his secretary for a minute before sighing. “I’ll go down. Thanks, Wendy.”

Damn it, why were his friends so stubborn?

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he stormed towards the elevators, and jabbed the ‘down’ button. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long before one of the doors slid open, revealing an empty elevator. People rarely got off on his floor anyway, unless it was to see him or to deliver files for his inspection. 

The next time the doors slid open, he stepped off on the floor of the legal department, and made his way towards the left. Upon realising that their CEO was in their office, a lot of employees stood up hurriedly to bow or scrambled to make it look like they were busy, but he waved it all away. Inspection rounds could wait. Right now, his priority was on the man behind one of those doors who shouldn’t have been here in the first place. 

Jihoon’s secretary, who was the one who had called Wendy earlier, got up from her seat and bowed respectfully upon seeing him approach. “Mr. Choi. Mr. Lee is free; please go right in.”

He simply pushed open the door and remembered to shut it securely behind him after stepping into Jihoon’s office. “Ji, why are you here?”

The shorter man didn’t look up from his files. “What does it look like? I’m working.”

“I already told you to take a week off,” Seungcheol said exasperatedly. Damn it, it was only yesterday that he’d brought a silent and broken Jihoon to his place and settled him in his guest room. The moment Jihoon’s head hit the pillow, he had fell into what Seungcheol hoped was peaceful slumber. He hadn’t left Jihoon’s side for the entire night, choosing to sleep beside him, and this morning when he left, Jihoon had still been sleeping. Seungcheol hadn’t expected Jihoon to come in, but here they were. 

Jihoon pursed his lips as he carefully circled a part of the document he was reading. “I have work to do, Cheol. Now, if-“

“Ji, there is a whole department of people to do the work.” Frustrated, Seungcheol resisted the urge to pull out his own hair. 

“Cheol, I’m fine. Please, just let me work.” Jihoon sounded impatient, eager to get back to his work, but there was a hint of underlying desperation that threatened to break Seungcheol’s heart.

He knew Jihoon was using work to prevent his mind from dwelling from how that bitch had cheated on him - with his cousin he treated like his own brother, no less - but he also knew that this wasn’t healthy.

From the moment he stepped into Jihoon’s apartment yesterday until now, he had not seen Jihoon shed a single tear. Perhaps Jihoon may have given in to his feelings and cried while he was alone at Seungcheol’s home this morning, but judging from how there were no tell-tale signs on his face - no swollen or red-rimmed eyes, for instance - Seungcheol doubted it.

He loved his best friend, and he wanted to hug him tight and shield him from all the pain in the world. But it wasn’t healthy to run away from his feelings, and he couldn’t do it forever. Sooner or later, it would reach its breaking point, and even though he would be there for Jihoon when it exploded, he really wanted to avoid the explosion if possible. All he needed was for Jihoon to face his feelings now, and then hold his hand as he walked down that long and dark path of recovery. 

Apparently, Jihoon was not going to follow Seungcheol’s brilliant plan. Seungcheol tried again. “Three days? Please, Ji.”

“If Jihyun takes three days off, I’ll take three days off.”

“Jihyun-“ Seungcheol spluttered. “She’s in today as well?”

Jihoon looked up, face void of emotion. “Why wouldn’t she be?”

He really wanted to bash both of their stubborn heads together. “Why does no one listen to me when I say ‘take a week off’? I’m the CEO, for god’s sake!” And damn it, why hadn’t Jisoo or Jeonghan stopped her? He stormed towards the door, and stuck his head out to look at Irene, who was looking at him with a mildly befuddled expression. He didn’t blame her; he’d instructed Wendy to inform the secretary that Jihoon would be taking a week’s leave, but the man had made his appearance an hour later, with the CEO personally making a visit right after finding out Jihoon was in the office. Anyone would be confused. “Please ask Jung Jihyun to join us in the office,” he said with gritted teeth.

“Of course, sir.”

A minute later, the woman in question slipped into the office. “Mr. Choi, Mr. Lee. Is there-“

“Did I not instruct you to take a week off?” Seungcheol interrupted, glaring at her.

An eyebrow winged up. “Since there’s nothing you actually need me for, I’m going back to my work. Which actually needs me,” she added pointedly, and left the office, leaving behind an open-mouthed Seungcheol and an impassive Jihoon.

“Just let us be, Cheol.” Jihoon said quietly. “We’ll be fine.”

No, you won’t, Seungcheol wanted to say. Instead, he nodded and left. Pulling out his phone as he walked to the elevators, he sent a text to Jeonghan to ask him out for lunch, which was quickly replied with a thumbs-up emoji. 

He desperately wanted a drink.

*****

It was 7pm, and to no one’s surprise, Jihyun was still at her desk. However, she was ready to call it a day; she was on schedule, and there was nothing else that needed her attention for now. 

Her eyes slid over to Jihoon’s office, where the lights were still on. And part of her yearned to go over, to talk to Jihoon, or simply be by his side, but part of her whispered: you don’t have the right to do that anymore. 

She was a university graduate. She was a woman who had an established career. She was known as someone who had the maturity of a wise old woman. However, she couldn’t stop her mind from repeating the irrational and unreasonable thought of ‘it’s your fault, it’s all your fault’.

Familiar words from one of her favourite books floated into the forefront of her mind, and she could recall every single word as though it was open in front of her. 

" _It's_ _not your fault. It's mine."_

_ "Yours? Jace, no it isn't—" _

_ "Oh, but it is. Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa." _

_ "What does that mean?" _

_ "My fault. My own fault, my most grievous fault. It's Latin." _

And now she wondered if this was how Jace Herondale - Jace Wayland, as he had been when he said those words - had felt when his  parabatai had gotten hurt. Every time she read the book, she had never pinned the fault on Jace, even finding it preposterous for him to feel guilty over something that had been beyond his control. But now, as she felt the same feeling of guilt gnaw at her heartstrings, she didn’t find it ridiculous anymore. 

However, she still couldn’t find it in herself to go knock on the door. Instead, she grabbed her tote, mumbled a farewell to Mingyu, who had looked up from his own work with a concern in his eyes to say goodbye, and headed out of the office.

To Jisoo. Her comfort, her safe place. 

But as she stepped out onto the streets, she recalled Jisoo’s apologetic text message this afternoon, reminding her to grab dinner before heading home and not to wait up, as he would be filling in for another colleague and wouldn’t be home late.  I’ll ask Jeonghan to go over , he’d added. Instead, she had told him to not worry, and she would be fine alone.

She didn’t think she would be. Because going back to an empty home would just serve as a reminder of how many times she’d left her own home empty. How she’d left her partner alone, waiting for her.

Instead of making her way towards Jisoo’s home, she wandered aimlessly down the streets. She wasn’t looking at where she was going, with the only awareness in her mind occupied with not bumping into any lampposts or pedestrians. She walked, and walked, and walked, until her mind whispered for her to stop and she looked up for the first time. 

She’d walked to Spring. As she stood in the shadows, out of sight of anyone in the florist shop, she observed Jeonghan carefully tending to a bunch of hydrangeas in a big bucket, a spray bottle in his hand. Seokmin and Seungkwan were nowhere in sight.

She let out a shaky laugh. It was funny, how she’d just met Jeonghan a few months ago, yet her mind had instinctually sought out his company despite her earlier opposition towards the idea. But then, time was relative. He was someone she wanted to lean on, and knew she could lean on.

So she pushed open the blue door, ignoring the ‘Closed’ sign, and a smile broke out on Jeonghan’s face when he saw her. She only took a moment to marvel at how blessed the man was; even in a plain white t-shirt and casual tan slacks, and with his blond hair messily tied up into a ponytail, he was still insanely attractive. She wondered how long it would take for her to fully be immune towards his beauty. Probably never.

“Hyun ah. Shua said you didn’t want me to go over,” he said, putting down the spray bottle. “But I was going to go over anyway. Shall we grab dinner? I’ll drop you at Shua’s later.”

And it was how he didn’t treat her as though she was fragile, how he still treated her as usual, with only a little more care and caution, that made the corners of her mouth curve up, perhaps for the first time in the last 24 hours. “Yes, please. Thank you.”

“Just give me a moment to tidy up,” Jeonghan called as he grabbed a cloth and wiped his hands clean. “Seokmin and Seungkwan had plans to go to a noraebang together, so I’m closing up tonight.”

“Actually...” she started, a sudden idea forming in her mind. “Um, is it okay if I visit Wonwoo next door? I want to grab some books.” Recalling the scene from City of Bones earlier had reminded her that she hadn’t picked up a book in a while, which was a shame, considering the fact that her love for reading ran bone-deep. “He should still be open, right?”

Jeonghan nodded. “Wonwoo’s bookshop is open till 9 normally. Go ahead; I’ll meet you there later.”

She had never been to Wonwoo’s bookshop, though the owner had invited her a few times. Now, breathing in the familiar scent of paper, looking at the neatly arranged books on the countless shelves around the store, she felt her heart settle down peacefully. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed this: visiting a bookstore, browsing the shelves, picking the latest releases from her favourite authors, and some from authors she wasn’t familiar with to spice up her reading materials and to see whether she would stumble upon yet another author whose stories she’d fall for. 

Wonwoo was the only person at the counter, and he didn’t even look up as she approached, engrossed in the book he was reading. “Hello,” she said softly, so as to not scare the man.

He still jumped a little, but he quickly settled down. “Jihyun,” he greeted, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose as he blinked owlishly a few times, coming out from the state of mind where it was just the story and him and no one else. Wistfulness snagged her by the throat; she truly missed reading, missed sitting down on a couch for the entire day, unmoving, reading book after book. “Did you come with Mingyu?”

The look in his eyes told her Mingyu had told him about her disastrous relationship, but she was eternally grateful that he didn’t say anything. “Actually, I’m waiting for Jeonghan to close up, and I thought I’d come in to pick up some books. I-I miss reading.” 

Wonwoo smiled understandingly. He would understand; the man was as crazy over books as she was, if not bigger. After all, why else would he open up his own bookstore? Jihyun envied him; being surrounded by books every day sounded like pure bliss to her. He got off his chair and walked towards the shelves, and she followed. “I remember you said last time you liked reading young adult books,” he said.

“Yeah.” It was her guilty secret. Perhaps it wasn’t the best genre for an actual adult - she should probably be into non-fiction - but she loved young adult books, where all the magic and fantasies were. She’d tried her hand at non-fiction before, but her mind had been appalled at the lack of...colour, and she gave up quickly.

Wonwoo stopped in front of a shelf lined with books from top to bottom. “Well, here they are. I stock them in both Korean and English, but the Korean ones might not be complete because not all the publishers release translated works. Let me know if there’s anything in particular that you want.”

“English is fine.” Growing up in the Hong household, she’d fine-tuned her English while Jisoo did the same for his Korean. Jisoo preferred speaking and reading in English because of Dr Han, and almost all the books in the library had been in English. She’d started reading the easier books while mastering the language, but it didn’t take long before she was reading Jisoo’s own books. Over the years, she’d gravitated towards reading English books instead of the Korean translations. Percy Jackson just wasn’t the same in Korean.

“You have the newest release from Sarah J Maas! And Leigh Bardugo!” She was already browsing through the books on the shelves. She sighed dreamily as she brushed her finger gently along the spines; it was like meeting old friends again.

“I have them in hardback too,” Wonwoo informed her solemnly, knowing that she would appreciate the luxury of owning a hardback copy. Indeed, she did, and nearly drooled as Wonwoo pointed them out to her. 

“Oh god,” she stroked the cover of Six of Crows reverently. “Please tell me I don’t need these. I already have the series in paperback.”

“When it comes to books, it’s never about need,” Wonwoo said with a laugh. They heard the front door being pushed open, and Wonwoo excused himself to go take a look, after she assured him that she would holler if she needed his help, though she doubted it - it seemed that everything she needed was already there. 

She spent a satisfying fifteen minutes carefully poring over the selections, finally settling on five. Her hand itched to add just a few more to her stack - like that gorgeous Slytherin version of the Order of the Phoenix - but she resisted the urge; she should go easy on her wallet and not empty it in one go. Besides, it wasn’t as though the books were going anywhere; she could always come back whenever she wanted to. 

To her surprise, she saw Jeonghan chatting with Wonwoo at the counter. They must’ve heard him coming in earlier, then. When he heard her approaching, he turned around and her a quick smile. 

She set the books on the counter, and Wonwoo rang them up. “Have you read this?” He held up one of the latest releases from one of her favourite series. 

“Not yet. Have you?”

“Mm hmm. It’s not bad, but it feels like a filler rather than a good sequel, when you compare it to how action-packed the previous books were. Let me know what you think after you’ve read it.” He pulled out a tote from under the counter with the bookstore’s logo printed on it, and slid her books inside before passing it to her. “Here.”

“Thanks.” She took the bag, the weight a comfortable reminder that she had something to look forward to when she had time to spare, that she had something to distract her mind from anything but the reason she was staying with Jisoo while looking for a new place. 

“See you, Wonwoo.” Jeonghan waved as he put a hand on her back and herded her out of the bookstore into the crisp night. “Is there anything you want for dinner?”

“Soufflé pancakes?” She looked at him hopefully. 

A resigned sigh was his reply. 

*****

When Jisoo stepped into his apartment, he wasn’t surprised to see Jeonghan lounging lazily on his couch like a panther on a branch, watching two girls having coffee in a cafe. “Have you eaten?” Jisoo asked.

Jeonghan merely nodded, eyes still focused on the drama. Knowing that it was unlikely that he could get any more out of Jeonghan, Jisoo headed to the door of his guest room, and knocked twice plaintively. Hearing a call from inside, he turned the knob and went in.

The room had been decorated in grey and white, and with Jihyun sitting on the bed, a book in her hand, he suddenly realised that the room resembled the one that Jihyun had grew up in back in his parents’s house. Odd that he’d never realised before this. “Hello,” he said cautiously.

Like Jeonghan, Jihyun didn’t look up from her book. But unlike Jeonghan, Jihyun spoke. “How was work?”

“The usual, I suppose.” Tiring, yet rewarding. Draining, yet fulfilling. “Do you want to talk?”

“About Chan, no. About everything else, sure.”

“Then let’s talk after I grab a shower.” She nodded, and he left the room, heading to his own.

As he stood under the running water, part of him wondered how she did it, how she could say his name without even a catch in her voice, how she could go through her day like nothing had happened. But he knew that she had a mind of stone, even if her heart was soft; perhaps she had yet to fully get over the betrayal, but she would deal with it in her own way without him meddling or pushing. 

How he wished to tell her she didn’t have to always be so strong, that she could lean on him, that she could cry it all out and let him be there for her to put the broken pieces back again.

Minutes later, he was sitting on her bed in his pyjamas, scrolling through his phone as she continued reading. “You got five books?”

“Yeah. Wonwoo’s bookstore is well-stocked; I couldn’t believe he had so many novels in English.” 

“Maybe I should go and take a look someday.” Like Jihyun, Jisoo ultimately preferred reading in English, but unfortunately not all bookstores had a wide selection of English books.

Jihyun hummed as she flipped another page. “You should. He has the Harry Potter series as well, the House versions.”

“I already have the first prints,” Jisoo pointed out. “I even got you the Order of the Phoenix when I got mine, remember?”

“I still have it. But the House versions are gorgeous, Soo, honestly.”

“Your usual rationality when it comes to differentiating needs and wants goes out the window when it comes to books, huh?”

Before Jihyun could come up with a witty retort, there was a knock on the door, and an annoyed Jeonghan popped his head in. “Shua, where on earth have you stored the chips? I can’t find any of them, and I need something to munch on while I watch my drama.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, and gave Jihyun a quick pat. “Give me a minute.” 

The moment the bedroom door closed behind him, all signs of annoyance vanished instantly from Jeonghan’s face. “We need to talk,” he mouthed silently. 

“How was she?” Jisoo asked in a low tone when they were in the living room, alone and out of earshot.

Jeonghan frowned, head tilted to one side. “I don’t get it. She seems...”

“Fine?”

Jeonghan settled on ‘normal’. “She was more subdued than usual, but it wasn’t as though she was talkative before. Cheol said Jihoon was the same, that the both of them are acting like nothing is wrong. I don’t like it, Shua. It...” he shook his head slightly, as if to dispel of some confusing thoughts in his mind, “It’s not good for her - for them - to react this way. You can’t be telling me they feel nothing; they must be hurting, yet there’s no outlet for their emotions. It’s not good,” he repeated.

“I know. But she needs the time, and the space. It’s her coping mechanism, and I’m sure it’s Jihoon’s as well. There’s no use trying to force it out from any of them, it’ll only backfire on us.”

Sighing, Jeonghan nodded. “I’m just worried.”

Jisoo reached out, and slender but strong fingers closed around his tightly. “I know, Han. But they can do it. They’re strong and stubborn, and they’re resilient. They’ll survive.” Wanting that furrow between his best friend’s brows to go away, Jisoo switched tracks. “What do you plan on doing with Chan?”

Hand still in Jeonghan’s, he was tugged over to the couch, where they both sat down. “As much as I would love to fire that cheating scumbag’s ass, Jihyun would murder me if she ever found out that I made it personal. And his morals may be distorted, but I can’t fault his work. He’s already up for a promotion soon.”

Feeling the man’s grumpiness, Jisoo gently circled the pad of his thumb on Jeonghan’s palm. “Then don’t do anything. The city’s big enough for them to never cross paths again. I’m sure Seungcheol said the same thing.”

Jeonghan sulked, indicating that Jisoo was right. “The only thing Cheol is going to do is refuse to renew that bitch’s contract when it expires. He said if they do anything to jeopardise her career now, people are going to be suspicious, and if they look closer it might hurt Jihoon.”

“You know he’s right, Han.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Jeonghan sniffed.

“Han ah.”

“Hmm?”

“You still haven’t told Jihyun, have you?”

Jeonghan looked at him with an innocence in his dark brown eyes that may have fooled anyone but Jisoo. “About?”

Jisoo let out an amused huff, but he continued drawing soothing circles on Jeonghan’s hand. “About your work.”

Jeonghan’s silence told him enough. “You do know that she’s going to find out sooner or later, and that it should be something that comes from you and not the news tabloids.”

“Why does it matter, Shua?” Jeonghan asked, surprising him. “Can’t I just be Yoon Jeonghan, the florist and cafe owner to her? Why do I have to be Yoon Jeonghan, florist and cafe owner as well as the President of the Yoon Corporation?”

“Bold of you to assume I don’t already know you as all three.” The voice was soft, but boy, did Jisoo and Jeonghan jump. Turning around, Jihyun was leaning against the wall with an eyebrow raised as she scrutinised the both of them.

Jeonghan was the first to speak. “How long have you-“

“Been standing here? A few seconds.” She yawned and walked into the kitchen, where they could hear the clink of glass against glass. Sure enough, she emerged with a mug of what Jisoo assumed - and hoped - was water in her right hand. “Known about you being the President? Three days.”

“Did someone leak it?” Jisoo asked Jeonghan, though he doubted that was how Jihyun had found out. His best friend had always hidden his true identity well, and if there were any leaks it would only be a deliberate one. There was a possibility that Jihyun may have found out through work, what with the mutual acquisition going on, but Jisoo knew that Jeonghan had always taken care not to have his name printed in any documents when it came to the corporation, choosing to stay in the shadows, hidden behind his scarily efficient personal assistant or the company’s CEO.

Jihyun rolled her eyes. “I am hardly dimwitted. Seungcheol’s a nice man, but there’s no reasonable explanation for how the CEO of Choi Industries came to be best friends with a florist slash cafe owner. Plus, your surname is pretty unique. I just wasn’t sure.” She took a small sip of her water. “Jihoon was so jumpy for the entire day after you had that meeting with him and Seungcheol last week, I pieced it together. All it took was me acting like I already knew that you were the President, and he went ahead and confirmed it. Don’t blame him though; he was downright pissed at me and already got his revenge.” She remembered how cheerful and bright Jihoon had forced her to act so that he could avoid any human interaction, and nearly winced. 

“You don’t seem angry,” Jeonghan said carefully, examining her expression.

She shrugged. “No reason to be. It was your secret to keep, and your secret to tell. I won’t be telling anyone else either, so don’t worry.”

As she headed back to her room, as quietly as how she had appeared in the first place, Jeonghan was...flabbergasted was the word for it.

He was hardly a stranger to dealing with people. As someone who had been groomed and raised to take over one of the biggest corporations in the country, he had been trained to charm his way into getting what he wanted, to be firm and stand his ground without offending anyone. After he’d snipped away every line connecting him to Yoon Corporation and opened up Spring, he’d put the skills to good use, and one thing he’d learnt from the past years was that age was never a good indicator for maturity.

But he found that he could still be surprised at how Jihyun had the soul of a fifty-year-old in her twenty-eight-year-old body.

*****

Jeonghan hummed to himself as he dropped his signature on yet another agreement with the gracefulness and speed of a veteran. Before placing it on top of the stack of completed documents that Seokmin would be returning to the headquarters of Yoon Corporation tomorrow, he wrote out some comments on a yellow Post-it which he stuck to the front page. 

“What’s left? Oh.” A smile crept onto his face as he saw the words ‘Choi Industries’ printed neatly on the last document that he had to approve for the day. It was likely the finalised terms that both him and Seungcheol’s legal teams have been working on for the past few weeks. Seungcheol had dropped him a message earlier today that it was almost done; he just hadn’t realised it would already be done today. But the fact that the heads of both companies were best friends - although in secret - probably helped; there was no power play, no hidden traps, only sincerity from both sides to grow their companies into stronger and better players together in the industry. Sure enough, the terms were drafted as per him and Seungcheol’s wishes, with no fine print and no frills. He couldn’t help feeling a sense of pride and joy as he signed his name on the dotted line on the final page, with Seungcheol’s already beside his in loopy cursive. 

There was a knock on his door, and he looked up as Seokmin let himself in. Dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, looking every bit like he was the person in charge of anything but the flowers at Spring, no one would ever come to the conclusion that he was personal assistant to the mysterious President of the Yoon Corporation. “Just in time,” Jeonghan told him, patting the stack of documents. “All done.”

“Alright. Is there anything in particular you want to follow up on?”

Jeonghan pondered for a moment, and grabbed his Post-its. Seokmin waited patiently for his boss to finish scribbling down the memo, using that time to scoop up the stack of documents that he’d brought in earlier today and giving them a quick run-through to make sure Jeonghan hadn’t left anything out. Which, of course, he hadn’t.

Seokmin’s eyes scanned down the yellow square that Jeonghan handed over, and nodded to himself. “I’ll get back to you.”

“No worries.” Jeonghan said, waving a hand. “I just wanted to check in; I know that there won’t be any issues.” The CEO ran a tight ship, and was the reason Jeonghan had the luxury of tending to his own flower shop, tying bouquet after bouquet with his own hands, as only the most important businesses under the corporation needed his personal attention. 

It was a weird arrangement, he supposed. Seokmin had said as much when Jeonghan had first hired him as his personal assistant with their own weird arrangement between the both of them.

“You’ll be working with me at my flower shop, but you’ll need to make daily visits to the headquarters of Yoon Corporation to bring me documents that need my personal attention. Also, you cannot tell anyone about this arrangement. Not the person you’re sleeping with, not your friends, not your family. If anyone asks, you work at Spring, period.”

Seokmin had given him a cryptic look. “So you’re the President of the Yoon Corporation.”

“Indeed.” Jeonghan didn’t blame the man for doubting the truth of his statement; after all, they had been sitting in the office where they were in now, with Jeonghan dressed in a comfortable T-shirt and jeans, looking like the florist he was instead of the President of a mighty business corporation which he, well, also was. Plus, Seokmin had attended the various rounds of preliminary interviews conducted by the CEO’s own people for the position of personal assistant without being told the identity of the person who was looking for a personal assistant. 

“But you don’t work at Yoon Corporation.”

“I don’t go to the offices,” Jeonghan corrected. “You’re supposed to bring the work to me.”

“So the CEO has more power than you do?” 

Jeonghan’s eyes narrowed fractionally as he wondered what Hansol and his staff had been thinking when they gave him Seokmin’s name. “There is a reason why I’m the President and he’s the CEO,” he said pointedly. “He has more responsibilities than I do when it comes to the business, I won’t deny that. I may choose to work from the shadows and stay unknown, however, the final decision will always be mine. Any other questions?”

Seokmin had put his hands up, a gesture of peace. “I was merely curious. You have to admit, sir, it isn’t a conventional arrangement.”

“Nothing about my life is conventional, Seokmin ah. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Two years later, here they were, Seokmin still by his side.

A buzz from his phone on the table shook him out from his reverie, and Jeonghan reached over to pick it up. With the stack of documents in his grasp, Seokmin bowed slightly and headed towards the door, but immediately whipped around in alarm when he heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. 

Jeonghan’s eyes were glued to the screen, gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles were white. Concerned, Seokmin went over. “Hyung? Is everything alright?”

Just like that, a mask of calm was immediately pulled over Jeonghan’s face. “Yes, Min. Just some surprising news. I’m fine,” he assured. “Go on. You’ve left Seungkwan downstairs alone for far too long; I don’t want to go down and find all my flowers rearranged again just because he finds it more aesthetic to arrange them by colours.” 

Seokmin knew that it was a losing battle. “Okay. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

“Alright.”

When he was the only one left in the office, the mask fell away. Jeonghan let out a shaky breath he wasn’t aware that he had been holding in. His gaze fell on the text message again, sent from a number that had not appeared across his screen in a long, long time. 

_ I’m coming back. _

Instead of typing out a reply, Jeonghan dialled another number he knew by heart, though rarely contacted. However, his call was rejected, and within seconds, his phone vibrated in his palm.

From:

Yes?

To:

He’s coming back.

Jeonghan watched as the speech bubble appeared and vanished a few more times until the other person finally sent a reply.

From:

I know.

He messaged me.

He had typed out “Are you” before realising it was a stupid question to ask. So he deleted the words, and prepared to type out another message. But before he could, another incoming message interrupted him.

From:

I’m not doing it.

To:

I won’t make you do it.

Stay safe.

There was no further reply, and he knew that the conversation was over. But the first one... the mixed emotions rolling around in his chest made it hard to think. The yearning, the worry, the anger - everything was lumped up, and like a rock rolling down a hill slope, it was gaining momentum and volume, giving rise to a telltale throbbing behind his eyes that he knew was going to manifest into a headache in a few more moments.

Cheol. He needed Seungcheol. Blindly, his fingers flew over the screen, and he put his phone to his ear with a hand that was trembling slightly.

“Han.” It was terrifying, the effect Choi Seungcheol had on him. One word, and he could feel the storm in his heart subside slightly. 

“Cheol, I need-“ 

“Han, are you alright?” Worry was tainting Seungcheol’s tone as he sensed his friend’s distress. “Is something wrong?”

The thing was, nothing was wrong. He knew that he would come back, knew that the merger had only hastened what was an inevitable outcome. He had prepared for it, yet when it happened, he still found himself in the position of regretting the decision that led to this. “Cheol, he’s coming back.”

There was only a split second of silence before Seungcheol replied, “I’m picking you up from work.”

Somewhere in his mind, it registered that there was someone else who needed Seungcheol more than Jeonghan did. “No, you can’t leave Jihoon alone.”

“Han.” Seungcheol said in a tone that was patient, yet brooked no discussion. “I’m picking you up. I’ll see you.”

And call him selfish, but he was relieved Seungcheol had chosen him. He didn’t know whether Jihoon needed Seungcheol more than he did, but he needed the man nevertheless. To ground him, to remind him that it was all going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are most appreciated! Let me know how you like the story if you like it :)
> 
> Any other YA lovers here? I swear I could write a thesis on my favourite series lmao.


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

If you boil a pot of water without keeping an eye on it, you might come back to a disastrous sight - overflowing boiling hot water running down the sides of the pot, the lid unable to stay on top any longer, the harsh sizzling as the water comes into contact with the stove. 

To prevent boiling water from overflowing, the best way would be to not put a lid on the pot. Instead, put a chopstick across the pot’s opening, and voila. The angry hot air can escape, but the water won’t. 

All is peaceful and calm. 

*****

In Seungcheol’s apartment, the owner is sitting on the edge of the bed in his guest room, frustrated at the current occupant of said room, who was standing by the windows, seemingly lost in thought. 

“Ji, please.”

Jihoon didn’t reply. And Seungcheol wondered if he needed to beg. He would beg without hesitation if he was sure that it would work. Anything to get Jihoon to show some emotion.

It had been a month since Jihoon had unofficially moved into his place. Which would mean that it had already been a month of the return of the Grinch, with Jihoon terrorising everyone who even breathed differently. Wendy, with the help of Irene, had kept him informed of Jihoon’s daily moods, and if Seungcheol were keeping tabs on a calendar by using emoji stickers, it would be a whole month of stickers with the “:(“ emoji. 

Yet Jihoon refused to talk about it. Not even a word. And when Seungcheol had attended THE8’s fashion show with Jihyun’s colleague Mingyu as representatives of Choi Enterprises, Mingyu had told him worriedly that Jihyun was the same. They’d spent the entire two hours whispering about the duo instead of focusing on the show, earning them a few dirty looks from the pretentious-looking guests seated around them. It was as though the both of them had shut the whole incident in a chest, locked and chained it, dumped it into the Bermuda Triangle, and dusted their fingers off. But Seungcheol knew it didn’t work that way. Simply because if they were truly over it, they would have no difficulty talking about it whatsoever, instead of avoiding the topic like a plague.

How does one deal with not one, but two, emotionally constipated and stubborn as hell friends?

Seungcheol wished he didn’t have to figure out the answer. But here he was, trying to deal with half of the stubborn siblings.

“You can’t be telling me it doesn’t hurt, Ji.” He tried again. “Can’t you be honest with me?”

He heard a sharp intake of breath, which spurred him on. “Ji, I’m here for you. Please. We’ll talk about it while drinking, if that’s what you want.”

“All I want-“ and Seungcheol wondered how Jihoon could sound so calm, but then, he had always been strict when it came to any display of emotion, “-is for you to leave me alone.”

“Kind of hard, considering the fact that you’re staying in my house.”

“I’ll move out tomorrow.”

“To where? Your old apartment?” He saw Jihoon’s back stiffen, and even as he apologised profusely in his mind, he ripped apart the Band-Aid mercilessly. “Where Hyeri was sleeping with Chan? We both know it isn’t going to happen. Ji-“

Without warning, there was a loud bang, and Seungcheol stopped mid-sentence, not even daring to breathe as he stared at his friend, whose fist was against the glass windowpane, breathing heavily. Cautiously, Seungcheol got up from where he was sitting, and made his way over to Jihoon. Seeing that Jihoon didn’t intend to shove him away, he was emboldened to put an arm around Jihoon, and another as he pulled Jihoon into his arms, hugging the shaking man fiercely against his chest.

Finally. 

Across town, in another apartment unit, which was not as grand as Seungcheol’s but decorated tastefully, and where every nook and cranny showed that this was a house filled with love, Jihyun had a book in one hand - courtesy of Wonwoo who had brought it home and asked her to come over to pick it up - lounging on the worn out armchair by the windows, pointedly ignoring Mingyu.

“Just one day,” Mingyu coaxed. Silence was the response he got. 

Beside him on the loveseat, Wonwoo had a reassuring hand on his boyfriend’s knee as he looked at Jihyun. He couldn’t help admiring the way she held the book, with her thumb, ring finger and pinky in the pages, and her forefinger and middle finger settled against the spine of the paperback. It was the habitual pose of a book lover who wanted to ensure that the spine wouldn’t be creased while reading, and was how he handled his own books as well. And her reading speed was impressive; she was already more than halfway through the mystery novel, and it had only been an hour. But that may also have been motivated by her urge to ignore his boyfriend, which she had been doing for the past hour while reading. He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be sympathetic.

Mingyu tried again. “Jihyun, one day of leave is doable. It’s human! You’ve been working like a maniac for the past few weeks. Don’t you want a break?”

“For the last time, Mingyu,” a gentle flip, “I don’t need a break. I am fine. I am happy. Please stop trying to kick me out of my own office.”

“I am trying to do it for your sake!” Mingyu groaned, and Wonwoo patted his knee consolingly. “Your relationship ended in shambles, and you act like everything is dandy, when it’s not! Your boyfriend cheated on you, for God’s sake!”

The book was lowered, and Jihoon looked at him with glassy eyes, her face paler by a few shades. “You think I don’t know that?”

As Mingyu got up from the seat to go over and take the trembling woman into his arms, to give comfort that Wonwoo knew he had plentiful, Wonwoo slipped away silently into their bedroom. With a few taps on his phone, a message was sent, and he considered it a job well done, picking up his own book lying on the side table which he had just started yesterday and relaxing on the bed. 

Across town, in the apartment unit that had been Jihyun’s home for the past month, Jisoo’s phone beeped with an incoming message. Frazzled, he took his eyes off the half-drunk Jeonghan lying on the carpet in his living room for one moment, and felt some relief at Wonwoo’s message. So Mingyu had succeeded. It probably wasn’t normal to want his sister to cry, but the situation clearly warranted an emotional intervention before she could start healing, and he was glad that the man had done just that. It gave him hope that there were still reliable people on Earth.

Unlike some. Sighing, he tried to take Jeonghan’s wine glass away, but a hand reached out to smack his. “Grab your own glass, Joshuji,” Jeonghan mumbled, the old nickname slipping out. Jisoo hadn’t been called Joshuji by Jeonghan in years, and it worried him. Frankly, this Jeonghan worried him.

The man had let himself into his house before he got back from work, and he had arrived home thirty minutes ago to find one empty bottle of red wine on his kitchen counter, with Jeonghan already making good progress through the second. It had been too late to try and stop him from over-imbibing, so Jisoo hadn’t bothered. 

But what was the trigger?

Jisoo had been swamped with multiple shifts for the past three days, and Jeonghan, being well used to his best friend’s erratic schedule, hadn’t been in contact with him. So he had no idea why Jeonghan was in his place, on his way to being-

Thunk.

“Shit-faced drunk,” Jisoo continued his train of thought out loud with a huge sigh, and went over to disentangle Jeonghan from the coffee table, which he had rolled into. Miraculously, the wine glass was still upright and intact, not even a drop spilled. The man himself was still incoherent, and despite slamming himself into the very solid coffee table, he hadn’t even emitted a squeak. Deftly, Jisoo ran his fingers along Jeonghan’s arms and legs, and was relieved to find no serious injuries, though it would probably bruise. “Han, what’s wrong?”

Perhaps the body slam had sobered up the man slightly, because he said, “He’s coming back.”

Jisoo’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Who is?”

But Jeonghan didn’t seem to have heard him. Instead of answering, he continued his rambling. “How is it possible for me to miss him so much-“ sniff, “-yet not want to see him?”

There were four stages of drunk Jeonghan: high, sleepy, emotional, ending with out cold. As Jisoo gently cradled his best friend’s head on his lap, he let out another suffering sigh. Stage Three it was. For once, he secretly thanked his hectic schedule for allowing him to miss out on Stage One, and wondered if Jeonghan could skip straight to Stage Four, so that he could dump him in his bed and call it a night.

Jeonghan was still going on. “What do I do, Joshuji?” He snuggled closer on Jisoo’s lap, and Jisoo threaded his fingers through the golden locks. “But I don’t want to do anything. Why can’t it all go back to how it was before?”

So there they stayed for the rest of the night, Jeonghan in Jisoo’s lap, Jisoo’s hands stroking Jeonghan’s hair, giving comfort as best as he could. When rays of gentle sunlight filtered through the windows the next morning, Jisoo nearly groaned out loud. He had leaned against the couch for the entire night, with a deadweight in his lap, and judging from how his back was screaming at him, it had clearly been an unwise choice.

He heard his front door open, and looked up to see Jihyun walk in, a paper bag hugged against her chest, her right hand holding a tray with three cups of what he fervently hoped was coffee. “Hi,” she mouthed, before heading into the kitchen. When she came back out, she passed him one of the cups, and thank god, it was coffee. “I came in earlier, but went out again to buy breakfast,” she whispered. “Do you want me to bring you any?”

After a most welcome sip of coffee, Jisoo shook his head. “I’ll eat in a while. He should wake up in a bit.”

Jihyun was looking down at the sleeping Jeonghan, and she murmured, “It’s quite unfair, how angelic he looks.” Indeed. Jeonghan was beautiful when he was awake, vibrant with life, but in his sleep, there was no hint of his usual playfulness; it was an image of pure innocence. 

With his free hand, Jisoo pulled a stray tendril of blond hair away from Jeonghan’s face, tucking it behind his ear. “It would be perfect if only he were as innocent as he looked.” Hearing Jihyun’s quiet laugh, he looked at her and asked, “How was it?”

Her lips thinned as she pressed them together and looked at her own cup of coffee in her hand. “I needed it,” she said softly. “Mingyu and I, we talked for most of the night, and I didn’t realise how much I needed to let it all out until I did.”

It hadn’t been pretty, and it hadn’t been easy. To go through box after box of tissues as she cried on his shoulder, to tell Mingyu that she felt like a failure, that she felt like it was her fault. And that even after everything, the only thing she felt sorry for was how she’d neglected her relationship, not for focusing on work. 

And Mingyu had been supportive. He’d listened to everything she said, and had told her, “It’s not wrong to want to focus on your career. Sure, you could have done better, forgotten less dates, spent more time with him. But he could have done better too. He could have sat down with you and talked about it. Instead, he chose the idiotic and cowardly way. I’m not saying you’re not at fault, Hyun. But what you did was salvageable. What he did wasn’t. I hope you see the difference.”

“You’re lucky to have Wonwoo.”

Mingyu’s eyes had softened with love as his mind went towards the love of his life, a door away. “I know.”

In Jisoo’s lap, Jeonghan’s eyelashes fluttered a few times, like the wings of a butterfly, before he opened his eyes and looked at the both of them blearily. “Hi?” He croaked, trying to get up, but collapsing with a loud groan.

Jisoo propped him up against the couch and got up, wincing as he stretched his sore muscles. “I’ll get you some ibuprofen,” he told Jeonghan, who seemed to have given up on living and had closed his eyes again. 

“Do you think you can eat anything?” Jihyun asked after Jeonghan had downed a glass of water along with the pills Jisoo gave him. “I got us some stuff from the bakery down the street.”

Jeonghan perked up as much as a disastrously hungover man could upon hearing that. “Did you get their chocolate muffins?” He asked hoarsely, the result of a dry throat and also a night of drinking more than what he should have. 

Jisoo appeared, the famous chocolate muffins in question arranged neatly on a big plate with the other pastries. He held the plate out to Jeonghan, who grabbed a muffin and started nibbling on it, all the while letting out satisfied hums. Amused, Jihyun took a croissant and settled back on the couch.

After devouring two muffins on his own, Jeonghan looked more human. “I have a plan,” he suddenly announced after a gulp of coffee, his eyes shining with a gleam that made Jihyun uneasy.

“We,” Jeonghan continued, “are going on a holiday.”

Talk about being unpredictable.

“I need a break,” Jeonghan patted himself once on his shoulder. “You need a break,” he gestured at Jihyun.

“Actually-“

Ignoring her feeble protests, he turned towards Jisoo, “And you need a break. Seungcheol needs a break. Jihoon needs a break. So,” he had a satisfied smile on his face, “We’ll all take a break.”

“Is this how the rich live?” Jihyun wondered, and Jisoo sighed. 

“Han, we-“ his finger waggled between him and Jihyun, “-can’t just take breaks whenever we want. I have patients who need me. Jihyun has work, and I presume that Jihoon has work that he can’t leave behind on a whim either.”

With a soft snort, Jeonghan leaned back and shot them a ‘really?’ look. “I know very well that you have a whole year’s worth of leave that you haven’t used,” he shot at Jisoo. “You can’t be telling me no one else in the hospital can take over your patients for one week.”

Another sigh. It would seem that all of Jisoo’s sighs were reserved for his best friend, and his best friend alone. But Jisoo didn’t object to Jeonghan’s statement; he knew that Jeonghan was right. He had a whole month’s worth of leave stored away, and the other doctors in his department were more than capable to handle his patients for a week. Plus, he’d been replacing their shifts whenever they took a day off. But he still felt compelled, on principle, to say, “But-“

One warning finger, and he swallowed back his half-hearted protests. “No buts. And you.” Jeonghan looked at Jihyun, who looked ready to bolt out of the apartment in the next second. “If Seungcheol allows you and Jihoon to take a week’s leave, I doubt anyone can say anything about it. Besides, you have a whole platoon of counsels in that department to manage your work while you’re gone.”

“That is true,” Jihyun agreed warily. “But I don’t need a break. It’s not about whether or not I can get some time off.”

“You don’t need these heavenly, sinful muffins to survive either, but nothing is stopping you from buying them anyway,” Jeonghan pointed out. Getting up from the floor, he stretched and dusted himself down before heading into the kitchen. “Pack up, boys and girls. We’re going on a trip.”

Jihyun and Jisoo looked at each other, torn between hysterical laughter and exasperated sighs. 

*****

The moment they got off the car, they were welcomed by several airport staff who immediately whisked their bags towards the check-in counters after collecting their travel documents. Several people milling around the entrance were already giving them interested looks, and Jihyun could hear appreciative murmurs as the women - and some men - checked them out.

She couldn’t blame them; Jeonghan was, as usual, his gorgeous self in a lavender oversized button down shirt and black jeans, his blond hair untied and fluttering in the breeze. Seungcheol had on a black t-shirt that hinted at some scarily-developed muscles in his chest and arms, but in contrast, his pants hugged his powerful thighs so intimately, nothing was left to the imagination.

Jisoo was decked in a yellow T-shirt and jeans, the ensemble taking years off him, but Jihyun supposed that the glow in his face was also because of the excitement and anticipation of not having to deal with stressful work for an entire week. He was chatting animatedly with Seungkwan, whom Jihyun had been surprised to see when she had gotten into the car earlier this morning. Apparently, Jeonghan had also made the trip a company trip for Spring, and neither Seungkwan nor Seokmin had put up any resistance. Seungkwan had been especially joyful, as they were going to be spending the week in his hometown, Jeju, which he hadn’t visited for a year due to financial constraints. Clad in a soft brown hoodie, the youngest looked even more cuddlier than usual.

Beside them, Seokmin had a soft smile on his lips as he listened to Seungkwan tell them all about the best food places in Jeju that were ‘local-approved’. Jihyun stared for a moment longer than necessary; although she saw Jeonghan often, her encounters with the man she now knew was his personal assistant were limited. She only saw Seokmin whenever all of them met up for lunch, and he was more often than not seated a few seats away, which made it difficult to strike up a conversation directly with him. She’d also never seen the man smile, and now, admiring the view, she thought it was a damn shame he didn’t smile more often. 

A woman dressed in a smart uniform the colours of the airline they were going to board walked over, and after giving them a quick bow which they returned, addressed Seungcheol, who still had the aura of someone who had power at his disposal despite his casual outfit. Seungcheol nodded and turned towards their motley group. “We’ve got the tickets,” he held up the small stack of paper that the woman had passed to him, “so let’s go wait in the lounge.”

“Can we grab a drink before we board, Cheol?” Jeonghan wheedled as he looped an arm around Seungcheol’s left. 

“Han, you have a whole week to drink as much as you want.” Seungcheol sounded exasperated, but Jihyun didn’t miss the fond gaze he shot the younger man who was clinging to his arm as they walked through the airport.

“Cheol...”

The both of them were friends, but there was an unidentifiable intimacy in their interaction that made her wonder if there was more to it than just friendship. Feeling slightly ashamed at her unintentional eavesdropping, Jihyun turned towards Jihoon who was walking on her left. He had been quiet ever since they got into the car this morning, occupied with his phone. A quick peek had her huffing in annoyance. “Ji, we’re going on holiday.”

Jihoon continued reading the agreement on his phone, something Jihyun knew he hated doing for the simple reason that it was extremely inconvenient to make changes or notes. “Our work doesn’t take a break even if we do.”

“And you have the whole department to take on our work for a week,” she responded. After working nonstop at ungodly hours for two weeks, she’d completed most of her files that would be due in the week she would be in Jeju, but had passed them on to Mingyu to do some final checks for her, along with a whole flurry of Post-it memos (she couldn’t blame the horrified and resigned look the man had given her; she was sure she’d used up a whole new stack). She knew Jihoon would have distributed his workload between the managers, who were most definitely competent enough to do it well without Jihoon’s constant hovering. “Come on, Ji.”

He seemed to soften up at her fussing. “Just let me finish this up.”

“Fine.”

The day after Jeonghan had announced that they were all going on a holiday, she’d knocked on Seungcheol’s door after work, two bottles of beer in her hand. After a murmured explanation to Seungcheol, who had been surprised to see her, the man had tactfully made himself scarce by going down to Jeonghan’s, and she had knocked again, this time on the door of the guest room.

One bottle of beer each hadn’t gotten them drunk. But the alcohol had most definitely helped them bolster up their courage to talk to each other for the first time after everything. They had eased into it; they’d started off by talking about work (where Jihyun had spent some time praising her reliable young intern who had tearfully completed her internship a few days ago), and their friends (“Trust Jeonghan to go on impromptu trips, and trust Seungcheol to say yes to everything Jeonghan says”), before awkward silence fell around them.

And then Jihoon had spoke. “You were avoiding me.”

“I thought you were angry at me.”

“Angry at you?” Jihoon had sounded incredulous. “Angry at the both of them, sure. Myself, definitely. But you?”

“I... Maybe it wouldn’t have happened if I had paid more attention to Chan. To our relationship.” And all of this wouldnt have happened, she wanted to say, but swallowed it back at the very last moment. She’d pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them, needing to ground herself.

Jihoon had snorted. “And I thought I was dumb. It’s not your fault, Hyun. And why are we even trying to put the blame on us? We’re not the cheating scumbags here.”

“I’ll drink to that.” And with a clink of their bottles, she felt her world righten again, the gap between them bridged. 

She could see that it still hurt for Jihoon. The shadows beneath his eyes had not faded away, the haunting look in his eyes still present. But it would pass. The road towards recovery was never easy, but they would get there one day.

Hours later, after a chaotic plane ride which ended with Jihyun apologising profusely to the air stewardess before disembarking, with an absolutely furious Jihoon herding the sheepish Jeonghan and Seungcheol off the plane (they did disturb his sleep, after all) and the rest laughing their asses off mercilessly, they were finally on the beautiful island of Jeju. 

“If any of you-“ Jihoon pointed fingers warningly at the group as he got onto the spacious van that Jeonghan had rented for them, “-pull anything like that again during the entirety of this trip, I am sending Dispatch emails of photos and videos that will have you regretting the day you were made in your parents’ bed.” Seungcheol made to open his mouth, probably to say something about how he wasn’t made in his parents’ bed but in some fancy hotel in Paris, but he smartly kept his silence as Jihoon amped up the fire in his eyes, and growled, “Get it?”

Five heads nodded obediently.

Jihyun, who was just getting onto the van after making sure that all the bags had been loaded into the back by the driver, sighed. “Stop scaring the kids and sit down.”

With one last warning glare, Jihoon huffed and settled down in one of the seats. 

“Does he remember that Seungcheol’s his boss?” Jeonghan whispered loudly to no one in particular.

“As Jihyun reminded me earlier, we’re on holiday.” Jihoon replied in a pleasant tone that fooled no one without turning around to look at Jeonghan. “Surprisingly, I feel so much more relaxed now.”

The van erupted into raucous laughter as it pulled out from the parking lot and cruised smoothly down the roads or Jeju. The rest of the car trip passed by quickly, with Seungkwan pointing out tourist spots and places they should visit before they left. His excitement at being home could hardly be missed, and it was infectious. By the time they pulled up at the three-storey bungalow set a short distance away from the city centre, not too far to be inconvenient but just far enough to be away from the hustle of tourists, everyone was buzzing to start their vacation. The moment the van came to a full stop, Jeonghan had jumped out of the van and barrelled into the house with some unintelligible shrieks of joy, with Seungcheol scrambling off the van and running after him in a panic, his shouts of “SLOW DOWN!” going ignored.

“Is this Jeonghan’s place?” Jihyun asked Jisoo, who had an exasperated half-smile on his face as they supervised the unloading of their bags into a luggage cart - who even had a luggage cart at home?

“His family’s, I believe.” Jisoo said offhandedly, eyes wandering around the well-tended garden that was blooming with quiet specks of colour. “It’s empty most of the time, as they don’t do family holidays. But someone from the town comes over to tidy up the place once in a while, and there’s probably a gardener who takes care of the grounds.”

“What a waste,” Jihyun murmured. 

The driver signalled that he was done, and Jisoo passed him a tip discreetly. Jihyun went over to help him push the trolley across the wide walkway between the gates and the front door. “I suppose. But we’re here now.”

As she listened to what was unmistakably Seungkwan’s impressed whoops echo through the large house, she smiled wryly. “Indeed.”

The cleaning lady must’ve been hard at work for the past few days. As someone who had been tasked with maintaining the upkeep of a decently large house for most of her life, she knew that the unfortunate truth of cleaning was that it never ended: the moment you finished cleaning the final room, the first room would have already started to collect a fresh layer of dust. But this house, which was easily thrice the size of Jisoo’s childhood abode, was spotless. 

There was a huge L-shaped leather sofa in the middle of the living room, with some smaller seats scattered around it, all of them facing the huge TV on the wall. The living room opened up to the dining room, where a glass table that could easily seat ten people took centre stage. The kitchen was designed as an open kitchen adjacent to the dining room, only separated by a long black marble-top counter with white barstools placed neatly under it. But was was impressive was the French windows n the dining room that led directly to what Jihyun assumed was a private beach. Unable to help herself, she stood by the windows and stared at the blue waves beyond the golden spread of sand, crashing lightly into the cliffs a short distance away before recoiling, only to do it again. Even through the glass, she could hear the lulling sounds of the sea, and she could’ve sworn she could smell it as well.

“If you don’t go up now, all the best rooms will be taken,” a voice came from behind her. Reluctantly, she turned around to see Seokmin smiling at her. Her earlier guesses had been right; the man was stunning when he smiled, reminding her of a bright ray of sunshine, as cheesy at it sounded. 

“I doubt there are any bad rooms in this place.” She replied, earning a laugh from the man. “But I’ll go look at the ones still left.”

They went up the stairs onto the first floor. “There are four rooms on this floor, and five on the topmost floor,” he told her. 

“Are the ones on this floor bigger?”

He shook his head. “They’re pretty much the same size. It’s just that there’s an additional living room here, so there’s one room less.” No sooner than he spoke, they came across Seungcheol and Seungkwan sitting on the couch in the living space, bickering over which movie they should watch tonight. It was a minimised version of the main living room on the ground floor, but just as tastefully decorated. 

Seungkwan noticed their arrival and looked up. “Home Alone or White Chicks?” He demanded.

“Home Alone is a Christmas movie,” Seungcheol sighed.

“Who even made that rule?”

“Seungkwan’s going to get his way,” Seokmin muttered, low enough for her ears only. 

She stifled a snort and said, “Let’s leave them alone. They’ll settle it in five minutes.” Seungcheol was a softy and wouldn’t last any longer until he bent to his dongsaeng’s wants. 

The first room on the floor was occupied by Jihoon already, who didn’t even look their way as they opened the door to pop their heads in, occupied with the phone in his hand. The second room had been taken by Seungcheol, and the third one by Seungkwan. The fourth room was unoccupied, but it didn’t have a sea view, so Jihyun declared that she wanted to check out the second floor before deciding. 

On the second floor, the first room had been taken by Seokmin, the second room Jeonghan. It made sense; Jihyun doubted that Jeonghan’s need for Seokmin took a break, and Seokmin seemed like a man who would still do whatever Jeonghan asked him to despite being on vacation. The third one was taken by Jisoo. Luckily, the room next to Jisoo’s which was still empty had a pretty decent sea view. “This one,” Jihyun announced, plopping herself in a most unladylike manner on the four poster bed with a sigh of happiness. “I’ll get my bags later.”

But Seokmin had already reappeared at the doorway with her bags in his hands. “Jisoo already carried them up earlier” was all he said.

She blinked in surprise. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Let me know if you need anything.” With another smile, he was gone, the door shutting behind him. So it was true; being Jeonghan’s personal assistant wasn’t a job that could be put on hold, if it extended to taking care of his boss’s guests as well. With some amusement, Jihyun wondered how Seokmin could handle working for Jeonghan. Jeonghan was a marvellous friend, but as a boss, he would undoubtedly be a handful. She reminded herself to ask Seokmin when she had the chance; she had a feeling the man would tell her.

“Busy,” Seokmin replied in answer to her question, biting into his fish cake they’d gotten at one of the stalls in the market Seungkwan had eaten since he was a kid. Catching her expectant gaze, he swallows the bite and quirked an eyebrow. “What?”

“It’s kind of vague,” she pointed out, her own fish cake neglected. Seungcheol and Jeonghan were still squabbling over whether to get the original one or the one with the spicy sauce, so she figured she had another minute to get an answer out of Seokmin. “Everyone’s busy.”

Seokmin grinned. “Jeonghan hyung is serious when it comes to work. He’s good at what he does, and he’s responsible. But it feels like taking care of a kid sometimes. I suppose it’s because he’s comfortable and trusts me to care for him, to make sure no destruction is left in his wake.” With one big gulp, one skewer of his fish cake was gone. “It feels nice to be trusted. It means I’m doing my job well.”

The spark in his eyes told her that it was sincere, that he was truly proud of doing a good job. And it showed through every thing she observed for the rest of the afternoon as the group toured the island for some local delicacies, when Seokmin kept passing Jeonghan the bottle of water without Jeonghan asking for it, when Seokmin passed him tissues for his mouth or his sweat, when Seokmin secretly ducked into a convenience store they passed by and got Jeonghan - and surprisingly, her as well - a small carton of strawberry milk.

Jihyun prayed that Seokmin would never get tired of taking care of Jeonghan, because boy, was he lucky to have Seokmin.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

The skies were still dark, the house quiet as its occupants slumbered in dreamland, but a small figure was slipping out through the dining room, bare feet making soft crunching noises on the sand until they stopped in the middle of the beach, a safe distance away from the calm waves.

Jihyun took in a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the scent of the sea and the sand under her feet. A quick glance at the time on her phone had her nodding. “Won’t be long,” she murmured to herself, and settled down on the sand, hugging her knees as she stared at the dark expanse of sea and sky in front of her. 

Like she predicted, she didn’t have to wait long before a small glimmer of light started to break through the horizon. She didn’t move, but just sat there as she watched the sun make its daily entrance, signalling the start of a new day. An hour later, she was still in the same position, basking in the warm glow of the gentle morning sun, admiring the magnificent view of the sky painted with hues of gold and pink while the waves churned out a beautiful melody in accompaniment.

She pulled out her phone and took a few shots with her camera, but she knew that as pretty as the photos were, they were merely a reminder of her memory of watching the sunrise in Jeju. They couldn’t capture the breathless excitement in her heart when she watched the sun make its slow ascent, nor the peaceful content that had creeped into her heart and settled there as she took in the breathtaking sight. But they would have to do.

It was near 6, and she knew that none of her friends would be awake. After spending the second day of their vacation touring around the island, they’d went to a Korean barbecue place for dinner, and they - with the exception of Jihyun and Jihoon - had started drinking steadily over the most amazing pork she’d tasted in her life. After finishing up their meal, the drinking had continued at home, and Jihyun and Jihoon had only lugged their drunk friends into their respective rooms at almost 2 in the morning.

Despite her late night, she felt rested and alert. Watching the sunrise had also put her in a jovial and cheerful mood, which was why she found herself driving the sedan in the garage down to the morning market fifteen minutes away to do some grocery shopping. An hour later, she was back at the holiday house, gritting her teeth as she moved her haul from the car to the kitchen. Naturally, she had to do it in one go; her pride demanded it. 

It was almost 9 when the first person entered the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, it was her only other sober buddy. “You’re cooking?” Jihoon yawned as he sat down on one of the barstools. 

She poured him a huge mug of strong, black coffee that she’d brewed earlier, and he took it gratefully. “Just some breakfast and hangover soup. Thought they’d need it.”

“If you keep babying them, they’ll be expecting you to make them hangover soup every time we have a party.”

“Like you didn’t put water and painkillers by their beds yesterday, you big softie.” Amused, Jihyun turned down the fire and left the soup simmering on the stove while she went over to the rice cooker. Deftly, she filled up a bowl of rice and carefully set a sunny side egg on top, and scooped up some stir-fried chicken and vegetables from the pan into a separate plate. The plate and bowl were placed on the countertop in front of Jihoon, whose eyes lit up with delight. “Bon appetit.”

He needed no further encouragement as he started scooping up rice and chicken into his mouth like they were going to be outlawed in the next minute. “Don’t skip your veggies,” Jihyun said sternly as she gestured at the plate, where there was a significant difference between the amount of chicken and the amount of vegetables left.

“Don’t like them,” Jihoon managed to get out in between gulps. 

“If you don’t eat at least some of them, I’m not giving you this soup.” Bowl of soup in hand, she stared at him. “So what’s it going to be?”

As Jihoon had never really been hungover before, thanks to his stubborn determination when it came to not over-imbibing, technically, he had no use for her hangover soup. But he had tasted it before, and he knew that it was good. Quite possibly worth more than a few mouthfuls of dratted vegetables. So he shovelled three spoonfuls of veggies into his mouth, making a show of having difficulty swallowing them before holding his palm out and waggling his fingers. “Give.”

“You are just like a kid,” she scolded, setting the bowl of steaming soup in front of him, which he devoured almost instantaneously. 

“How are you up so early?” A tired voice came from the living room, and the both of them looked up to see a haggard looking Jisoo heading towards them. 

“It’s hardly early,” Jihyun told him, already ladling another bowl of soup. “Here, have some soup.”

Weary and likely suffering from a headache, Jisoo’s eyelids were drooping as he took a sip of the soup without looking at it, but his eyes immediately widened the moment he tasted it. “It’s really good. You made this?”

Jihyun nodded. “I woke up early to watch the sunrise-“

“Why would any sane person do that?”

Ignoring Jihoon’s incredulous interruption, she continued, “So I went to the market after that and bought some ingredients. Finish up the soup and I’ll get you some rice if you’re up for it.”

“Why did I drink so much?” With a groan, Jisoo took another quiet sip. He may have been hungover, but his table manners were still firmly ingrained in his entire being; there would be no ghastly slurps from him. 

“It was fun watching you trying to convince Seungkwan he needed to bring you to the best fried chicken place on the island at midnight,” Jihoon told him, the glee in his tone eminent. Jisoo groaned again.

Over the next hour, the pot of soup was emptied by the rest of their grumpy but grateful zombiefied friends who had managed to crawl out of their rooms, fuelled by the need to search for food. Unfortunately, none of them seemed up for sightseeing, choosing to lounge around the house watching TV or playing games. But she could hardly blame them, considering the ridiculous number of empty bottles of soju that were lying in a box outside, waiting to be recycled. 

“I wanted to visit the trails near Oeldogae,” Seungkwan grumbled as he flopped onto the couch. “I guess it can wait till tomorrow. We can go to the beach as well.”

“I watched the sunrise this morning,” Jihyun told him from where she was sitting on the other side of the couch. The rest of their friends were in their own rooms, still nursing their hangovers, and the only reason Seungkwan was in the living room and not his own was because he had declared that he had no energy nor motivation to climb up the stairs. The youngest was unused to drinking as often as the others did, and Jihyun could see him wincing whenever he shifted positions. She made a mental note to brew more soup later for him if he didn’t feel any better. “At the beach behind the house. It was really pretty.”

“Seongsan Ilchulbong has one of the best views of the sunrise on the island,” Seungkwan said. “But no way in hell are you waking me up and making me do a 45-minute hike to see the sunrise.”

“None of you have any appreciation for nature,” Jihyun sighed.

“I do. Which is why I sleep. It’s my natural habitat.”

*****

“Mr. Xu? There’s a man here for you.”

“Don’t I wish,” Minghao murmured to himself before tearing his eyes away from the fabric samples draped on the mannequin in front of him. As he saw who was standing behind his assistant at the doorway to his office, an eyebrow slowly inched up. He jerked his head to one side, and his assistant gave a quick bow before leaving him alone with his visitor, who walked into his office and closed the door behind him. “Soonyoung! You never told me you were coming back.”

“I didn’t know I was coming back.” The CEO of Yoon Corporation exuded power in his tailored black suit, with his dark hair slicked back to accentuate his sharp features, especially his eyes which were slanted at the ends and always reminded Minghao of a clock at 10.10. “The merger...”

Ah. “I assume the President didn’t inform you of it beforehand,” Minghao said politely as he settled down in his chair opposite Soonyoung.

A small snort. “You assume correctly. I can’t believe he did it without anyone else finding out, not even my team.”

“Are you here to stop it?”

Soonyoung sighed, and leaned back. “No. It’s a good move. But I had to come back. There would be rumours if the merger went on without my presence, and I don’t want anyone looking too closely and digging out the President’s identity. So here I am.” For emphasis, he held out both his arms before dropping them to his side.

Minghao had known Soonyoung for a few years. It was Soonyoung who had fell in love with Minghao’s work instantly when his wandering eyes chanced upon Minghao’s sketches in a cafe. He had sat down with Minghao, who had been struggling with trying to survive and had been at the lowest point in his life back then, and had told Minghao that he really wanted to help him realise his goal of being a renowned designer.

“You don’t even know me,” Minghao had croaked, unable to believe that he was starring in a scene straight out of a drama.

“I don’t. But I know talent when I see it, Minghao.”

The next day, Minghao had met up with Seungcheol and two fashion designers who had their independent fashion brands, but had Choi Industries as one of their biggest investors. The designers had been professional critics; they liked his work, but it could be better. Following their advice, Seungcheol had assigned him as an apprentice at one of the brands, and after a year of being tossed around in the harsh world of fashion, learning all the trade secrets while sketching design after design to be evaluated by his master, Seungcheol had came to him with a contract.

The first year hadn’t been easy. It was filled with sleepless nights of him working at his studio - he had a studio! - letting his creative juices flow, as well as days of dealing with suppliers and potential financial backers. There were days where he spent his time carefully sewing up the first sample of an outfit, trying to fit it on the mannequin to see whether it would look as good after it was materialised and no longer just a vision in his mind. There were, of course, days where he couldn’t draw anything, days where he was frustrated at everything he produced. But when he finally stood backstage at his first show watching the usual frenzy unfold in front of him, and when he finally went onstage to cheers and thunderous applause after the last model had exited the stage, he had to blink a few times when he bowed to make sure that none of his tears would fall. 

He had always made it a point to send Soonyoung every single design that came out from his studio. Regardless of whether Soonyoung would wear the loud floral print shirt or the red fur coat, he would be getting them all. But apart from every piece of clothing ever produced by THE8, Soonyoung’s closet was also filled with tailored suits and shirts which were exclusively designed for Soonyoung and sewn by Minghao’s own hands. Initially, Soonyoung had protested violently when he found out that the suits he was wearing weren’t from the production line, but after Minghao’s stubborn insistence that it was all he could do to show his gratitude, Soonyoung had relented. Every time Soonyoung appeared in the press - which was quite often - Minghao had always felt pride spark in his heart whenever he saw that Soonyoung was wearing the suits he had made for him. But as per Minghao’s requests, Soonyoung had never disclosed the identity of his tailor, no matter how many times the question arose whenever he did interviews.

“As long as I look good, that’s all that matters,” Soonyoung always said.

And he did look good, Minghao thought. But his shrewd eyes which were trained to capture every single detail didn’t miss the light circles under Soonyoung’s eyes. “You look tired.”

Soonyoung’s eyes had fluttered shut, and Minghao had a feeling that this was the first time in a while that Soonyoung had given himself a break. “I am tired, Hao. Coming back means I have to deal with stuff that I don’t want to, and that I have to hurt the people I love in the process.”

“You mean the President.”

Soonyoung dipped his chin slightly as affirmation. “But I had to.” The sentence was whispered in such a low tone, Minghao nearly missed it. And he felt part of his heart ache for his friend, because he knew Soonyoung would be hurting himself as well, yet his only concern was for the hurt he would be bringing. Typical, selfless Soonyoung.

“I told him I was coming back. He didn’t reply to my message,” Soonyoung continued quietly. “I miss him. So much. But I can’t find it in myself to go to him, not when I’m the source of his pain.”

Minghao’s fingers drummed on the arm of his chair thoughtfully. “Don’t you think he anticipated your return, especially with the merger?” The President was not someone who did anything lightly. It would be unwise for anyone to assume that he had less control over the company simply because Soonyoung was in charge of making most of the important decisions. If anything, it was impressive how he still had a firm grip over his company even though he worked from the shadows. Any underestimation would be at the insolent competitor’s own peril.

Soonyoung was silent for a moment as he thought it through. “I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know anything anymore when it comes to him.” The despair and resignation came out loud and clear, despite the soft voice. 

“Go to him, Young.”

“And cause him more pain?”

He wondered if Soonyoung could see that it was causing him pain as well, but didn’t push the issue. Instead, Minghao got up from his seat, went around the table and crouched down by Soonyoung. “You have to see him sooner or later,” he said. “Whether or not the issue can be resolved, wouldn’t it be nice to talk to him first before everything starts going downhill?”

Soonyoung didn’t even bother correcting him; they both knew that he was right, that there wasn’t going to be a fairytale ending. Eyes still closed, he murmured, “He won’t want to see me.”

“He planned a merger that was on national headlines for a whole week just so you would have no choice but to come back,” Minghao said dryly. “I think he’ll want to see you.”

A moment of silence. “I don’t know where he is.”

“You must be desperate if you’re coming up with such flimsy excuses.” After all, a phone call by Hansol would have given him the answer he needed. “But to save your poor assistant the extra work, he’s in Jeju on a vacation.”

“A vacation?”

Minghao sighed exasperatedly. “Yes, Young. The concept might sound unfamiliar to you, but people do take time off for vacations.”

“You’re one to talk. Have you taken a vacation in the past year?”

“Been busy,” Minghao replied simply. “Someone has to keep you in clothes, after all.”

A hand went up to rub his temples. “I think it can wait until he finishes his vacation.”

“By which, you would’ve lost all of the teeny bit of courage you now have, and I will need to spend more time helping you rebuild it, which will be extremely counterproductive,” Minghao said calmly. “So shall you tell Hansol, or shall I?”

Groaning, Soonyoung pulled out his phone. “Damn it.”

“There are two luggages here full of clothes that were supposed to be sent to your residence tomorrow. You can just take them and go straight from here.”

“Damn it,” Soonyoung repeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minghao, Soonyoung and Hansol are here! So Soonyoung and Jeonghan know each other, and why does Minghao know where Jeonghan went?


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

After dinner, even though all of them had recovered from their suffering, but as no one had done a liquor store run and no one was willing to volunteer, there had been no drinking. Instead, they had all gathered in the living room to watch a horror movie. Sitting on Seokmin’s other side, Seungkwan whimpered and shrieked at every single scene. Amused, Jihyun debated reminding him that he had chosen the movie, but the kindness in her heart prevented her from doing so. 

“I’m sleeping with you tonight,” Seungkwan whined at Seokmin the minute the credits rolled, eliciting a volley of laughter from the rest of the room. “I’m never going to be able to sleep!”

“Seungcheol, you were practically hiding your face in Jeonghan’s shoulder the entire time,” Jihyun called out, immediately wiping the smirk off the man’s face and earning her a baleful glare. “I don’t think you should be laughing at Seungkwan.”

“At least I can sleep alone!”

“That remains to be seen,” Jihoon snorted. “When we were in uni, there was once where-“

With a yelp, Seungcheol pounced over to slam his palm against Jihoon’s mouth, but he probably hadn’t expected Jihoon to bite on his palm, causing him to withdraw his hand and yowl. “Ow! That hurt!”

“If it didn’t, I’d be bringing you to the hospital right now,” Jihoon informed him. “So as I was saying-“

“Ji!”

“The movie club had a screening for a horror movie in one of the campus auditoriums, and this man here went along with one of the girls he was trying to impress, thinking that he would have the chance to protect the girl from the horrors they were going to see onscreen,” Jihoon continued his tale, ignoring Seungcheol’s groans.

“Sexism,” Jihyun muttered, and on her other side, Jisoo nudged her gently with his elbow. “But it is!”

“However, throughout the movie, the girl didn’t even flinch once! Turns out she was a horror movie fanatic. Our poor Seungcheol, however, in his quest to impress the girl, was scared shitless but didn’t dare to show any sign of it. Unfortunately, as his roommate, I had to bear the consequences. For the entire month, he insisted on having every single light on 24/7. And even then, he refused to go to the bathroom alone. Can you imagine having to stand outside the bathroom and talk nonstop to him through the door just so I could burst in and go to his rescue the moment a scary monster slithered out of the toilet bowl? Also, I made him pay the insanely high electricity bill for the month.”

“What a baby,” Jeonghan snickered. “Shall I keep you company for the rest of our stay, Cheollie? I’ll protect you from the monsters.”

“Yeah, by yelling for Seokmin the moment you see one.” It was Jisoo’s turn to mutter under his breath, and Jihyun snorted. Knowing Jeonghan, that would hardly be inaccurate.

The group dispersed off after that. Jihyun said goodbye to Seungkwan and Seungcheol, who had plugged in Mario Kart, determined to redeem their honour, with an entertained Jeonghan looking on as he relaxed on the couch. 

The kitchen was surprisingly empty, with no constantly hungry men who had insanely high metabolism rates that allowed them to snack without gaining an ounce of fat raiding the kitchen for late night munchies. Systematically, she started checking the fridge and pantry, writing down the things that she would need to replenish on her grocery run tomorrow. For a moment, she wondered why she was the one doing this, but realised that if it were left to the others, they’d be having takeout or eating out for the entire trip. 

She was pleasantly surprised to find baking tools in one of the cabinets. The house had clearly been furnished with the intent of making it a holiday home, where there would be no occupants most of the time. For instance, the shelves in the small study were sparsely filled with books that were so bland and dry, they were probably unwanted books which were brought over from the Yoon family house to free up shelf space there. So to have a whole cabinet of baking tools, which included cake pans of all shapes and sizes and even a sparkling new stand mixer, was something she hadn’t expected, it was something she would take full advantage of.

As she was cracking eggs in a bowl, Jeonghan strolled in. “What are you doing?”

“Baking a cake.”

Interested, he came over and sat down on one of the barstools on the other side of the countertop. “Can I watch?”

“Sure.” With the ease of someone experienced, she used her fingers to scoop up the egg yolks without breaking them and set them down carefully in a separate bowl. She then popped the bowl of egg whites under the mixer and turned it on low, the machine giving a low hum as it whisked. As she weighed out the cake flour and sugar, out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jeonghan with an elbow on the countertop and his chin resting on his palm, evident interest shining in his eyes. A corner of her mouth twitched. “You’ve never baked before, huh?”

He shook his head cautiously. “But it looks fun.”

“It is.” She remembered the times she’d spent in the kitchen of the Hong family home, whipping up batches of cake batter, with Jisoo helping her weight the ingredients or icing the cake when it had cooled down, before decorating it with sprinkles, chocolate chips, or fruits, depending on his mood. The heir to the Yoon Corporation would’ve been banned from the kitchens, she supposed, but looking at the eagerness in Jeonghan’s eyes, she felt her heart go soft for the boy who could have found his passion in baking, had the circumstances been different. “Do you want to help me out?”

A while later, she carefully slid the pan filled with cake batter into the preheated oven, and fiddled with the knobs. “It should be done in 30 minutes,” she told Jeonghan, who had started on washing the bowls, and got a nod in response. They were both silent after that, taking turns to alternate between washing and drying, but it wasn’t awkward. 

When they had finally cleared the sink, an unspoken consensus passed between them. Jihyun went over to the fridge and poured the both of them some strawberry milk - store-bought, unfortunately, but it would have to do - while Jeonghan waited for her by the doors by the dining room that led outside. With a glass of strawberry milk in their hands, they slipped out through the doors and walked down to the private beach, which was only illuminated by the soft glow of the moon. They sat down together side by side on the sandy beach, letting the calming splash of the waves wash over them. 

“Are you feeling better?” Jihyun was the first to speak. 

Jeonghan knew she wasn’t asking about his hangover, but the reason why they were here in Jeju in the first place. He chose his words carefully. “I haven’t thought about it for the past few days, so I suppose I am.” He had needed this break far more than he thought.

“Jisoo‘s been worried.”

“I know.” Sighing, Jeonghan ran a hand through his unbound locks, which were fluttering slightly in the breeze. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Mmm.”

“How about you?” 

Jihyun was silent for a moment. “Would it be mean of me to say that I feel relieved?”

Surprised, he turned to look at her, but she was staring straight ahead at the vast sea. “Relieved,” he repeated.

“Relieved,” she affirmed. “Not because he cheated on me, not because he hurt Jihoon as well. But because...somewhere down the road, I think he would have forced me to choose between him or my work. And I’m scared.” Pausing, she let out a shaky breath. “Scared that I would have chosen work if it ever came to that. Because if he truly loved me, would he have made me choose?”

An arm came around her shoulders. “Someday,” Jeonghan said gently, “you’ll find someone who won’t make you choose. You deserve someone who respects your choices in life, Hyun, someone who will support you instead of holding you back because of his own insecurities.”

“I know,” she mumbled, and laughter rumbled through Jeonghan’s chest. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are you in love with Seungcheol?”

The arm around her shoulders tensed, which was already the confirmation she was looking for, but she remained silent, waiting for Jeonghan to speak. “Yes,” he finally said, that one syllable containing years of pent-up longing and want and heartbreak. “How did you find out?”

“It was obvious once I knew what to look for.” 

Jeonghan let out a surprised huff. “I thought I hid it well.”

“Does he know?”

“No.” It was a whisper, more to convince himself than to tell her. “And he never will, if I have my way.”

“Han-“

“Cheol isn’t gay, Hyun ah.” He said it in a matter-of-fact tone, as though the fact had never caused him any hurt over the years. “And I don’t want to risk losing what we have now. Cheol’s too precious to me.”

“Seungcheol-“ Jihyun caught herself. She needed to talk to Jihoon about this first, but she had a feeling she wasn’t mistaken. Instead, she asked, “When?”

Jeonghan took a long sip of his strawberry milk, but the nervous fidgeting of his fingers on the glass betrayed his emotions hidden under the calm exterior. “We grew up together,” he started. “The Chois and Yoons have always been friends, and since we were born in the same year, our families found it a good idea to raise us together. We had the same nannies, went to the same schools, shared the same tutors... you get the gist. It was always Cheol and I, and I never wanted it any other way.

“When we got to high school, we were pretty popular. Our family backgrounds weren’t disclosed - for our safety and privacy - but, well, people could see that we weren’t poor. Plus, we’re decently good-looking.”

“Did you have long hair back then?” Curious, Jihyun asked.

Jeonghan nodded. “Not as long, but yes. It wasn’t blond, though; I kept my original black most of the time and only dyed it brown a couple of times. It got me some stares, sure, but Cheol was always there to glare at anyone who even thought about insulting me. After some time, the novelty wore off, and that was when we started attracting attention.”

“I’m sure it was because of your stellar personality,” Jihyun said sardonically, and Jeonghan grinned.

“I do have a stellar personality.” He flipped his hair back dramatically, earning a snort from her. “Anyway, we dated around. I wasn’t sure about my sexuality then, but I found it equally nice to date both girls and boys, so I guess that was my awakening. But everything was casual; I never managed to stay too long in a relationship. It wasn’t until I was 17 and out with Seungcheol for lunch when I looked at him across the table, and everything clicked into place. It was as though someone had taken my glasses and wiped the lenses clean, and I finally realised how much I’d been missing out on. That I was irrevocably in love with my best friend, and had been for a while. That the reason I always wanted to be with him, always brought him along when I went out for dates with the people I was seeing, was because I could never prefer the company of another person over his. I don’t know whether I’m gay or bisexual or pansexual; all I know is I’m devastatingly in love with Seungcheol, labels be damned.

“When we were choosing universities, I intentionally chose a different one even though we were pursuing the same degree, because I wanted to put some distance between us.” Jeonghan’s lilting voice carried a wisp of wistfulness as he recalled the memories. “It hurt a lot, watching him flirt with girls, listening to his stories about how his dates went. It was a reminder of what I could never have, but desperately wanted. Turns out it was a lost cause; dating around didn’t help, throwing myself fully into my studies didn’t help, drinking and partying didn’t help. Four years later, we got our degrees, and I was still hopelessly in love with my best friend. And here we are.”

Jihyun reached up to hold the hand attached to the arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. That would have been more than 12 years of Jeonghan’s unrequited love. She’d seen the looks both men and women gave Jeonghan whenever he was out, and had wondered why he never seemed interested in taking up any of the suggestive offers sent his way. How devastating must it be, to be holding on tightly to a thread of hope, never letting go despite being bloody and bruised, all because of love. 

Sand crunched behind them, and they both whipped around to see Seokmin standing there, only recognisable by the bright yellow ducks on his pyjama bottoms due to the dim lighting. 

“Min,” Jeonghan greeted genially. “Join us?”

Seokmin shook his head. “Hyung, you have a visitor.”

Jihyun looked up and saw the bafflement in Jeonghan’s eyes that must’ve reflected her own. “I’m on holiday, Min. Who the hell is here?”

“It’s a personal visit.” That was enough to pique Jeonghan’s curiosity, and they trudged back to the house. When they were inside, the fragrant smell of butter and sugar assaulted her sinuses, and she tugged lightly on Seokmin’s sleeve.

“I’m going to-“ she paused as she saw Seokmin’s face. It was a mask of control, but in his eyes, wariness and worry battled alongside each other. “Seokmin? Is something wrong?” It clicked for her then, and her eyes widened. She headed towards the living room, only to be stopped by Seokmin’s hand gripping her arm. “Seokmin-“

“He’ll want to see the visitor alone,” Seokmin said, the strain in his voice causing her to stop struggling against his grip. “Please, Jihyun.”

The oven dinged at that exact moment, and Seokmin loosened his grip, shock and horror in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

She waved it away. “It’s fine. I-I need to check on the cake,” she murmured. Seokmin dipped his chin in acknowledgement, and continued towards the living room. “Seokmin?” She called out, and he stopped, turning around. “Please tell me if he needs someone.”

With a nod, he left. 

*****

Soonyoung groaned as he got off the car, letting Hansol settle the cab fare and their luggages as he stretched his worn out body. The plane ride followed by the car ride after a long day of trying to shift around his schedules for the next few days was not something he’d planned on doing when he woke up this morning, and he was seriously debating whether it was worth it.

Hansol walked over and huffed. “Shall we ring the bell?”

Soonyoung made to do so, but hesitated. “No. Call Seokmin and ask him to let us in. He knows we’re coming, right?”

“I didn’t explicitly tell him we were coming over tonight. But I think Seokmin can use his brain. Why else would I be asking for the address of the house?” Hansol held the phone up to his ear. “Seokmin, it’s Hansol. Yeah. Can you open up the gates? We’re outside.” As a loud ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE OUTSIDE’ blasted through the speakers even though Hansol hadn’t put Seokmin on speakerphone, Soonyoung winced and Hansol quickly pulled the phone away from his poor ear. “Didn’t I-no, but-you dumbass, why else would I have asked for the address? Hello?” Hansol gaped at his phone screen, which had went dark. “He hung up on me!”

But before Soonyoung could ask him to redial Seokmin’s number, the gates slid open soundlessly. Both men looked at each other, and shrugged. Grabbing their bags, they walked down the driveway and towards the front door, where lights from inside the house washed over a figure in a ratty T-shirt and pyjama pants with bright yellow rubber ducks printed on them.

Seokmin had an unreadable expression on his face. “Mr. Kwon, Hansol. May I ask the purpose of your visit?”

“I need to talk to Jeonghan.”

“He’s on vacation. However, I’ll be happy to schedule an appointment for you after he goes back.”

“Seokmin,” Soonyoung sighed. He could understand the man’s protectiveness, but he was in no mood to deal with it. “I’m here to talk to Jeonghan about something personal. I would think that flying all the way here just to see him, despite knowing that there is a possibility that he might kick me out the moment he sees me, is worth at least a few minutes of his time. Please,” he added softly. “I don’t know what Jeonghan has told you, but I don’t mean any harm, I swear.”

He saw Seokmin weigh the probabilities in his mind, and relaxed when Seokmin nodded curtly. “I’ll go get him. Please stay here and make yourselves comfortable.”

“Wow.” Soonyoung turned around to see Hansol already kneeling in front of the TV. “There’s a PlayStation and - Mario Kart! Hyung, do you want to-“

“Sol.” That one syllable was enough to make Hansol come over to stand beside him.

“Do you think Mr. Yoon will kick us out?” Hansol whispered quietly, the earlier excitement gone. 

“No.” At least, he hoped Jeonghan wouldn’t. “It smells good.”

Hansol took a delicate sniff of the air. “Smells like someone’s baking. Mmm. God, we haven’t had dinner yet,” he suddenly exclaimed. “I’m so sorry, I forgot-“

“I forgot too.” He didn’t add that he had no appetite, despite his last meal being more than 12 hours ago. Travelling tended to mess up his body. “We’ll grab something later.”

Upon hearing someone approach, Soonyoung turned around to see the man he came here for stop abruptly in his footsteps when he realised who was his sudden visitor. 

He was holding a glass of what looked suspiciously like strawberry milk, and his hair was longer than when Soonyoung had last seen him, though he must’ve gotten a touch-up for his blond hair as there were no dark roots to be found. He looked more mature, but that was to be expected, Soonyoung supposed. Even so, his sinfully good looks had not disappeared, and the sickeningly familiar dark eyes that he had not seen in years were looking at him now, shock and wariness in them. 

It made his heart ache.

“Jeonghan.” Soonyoung said, and bowed deeply. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hansol follow suit. 

“Soonyoung.” The call of his name was cautiously done. “Hansol. Why are you here?”

“It’s hard to stay away when you decide to make a major move without letting anyone else know,” Soonyoung said, deadpanned, and Jeonghan’s eyes flickered. So Minghao hadn’t been wrong; intentionally or otherwise, Jeonghan had executed his plan knowing that Soonyoung would come back. 

“You can hardly deny that it’s a good move.” Jeonghan had shifted into his President mode, and his voice was tinged with pride and arrogance. 

Soonyoung tilted his head. “It is. However, I would have appreciated some forewarning.”

“Must’ve slipped my mind.” Jeonghan replied with a casual flick of his wrist, and settled down on the leather couch. Even though he was merely in a casual T-shirt and shorts, the man was no less intimidating than when he was in tailored three-piece suits; he exuded the natural aura of someone who had power and would wield it as the sharpest weapon in his arsenal. 

“Can we talk, Jeonghan?”

“I’m on holiday, Soonyoung, if you haven’t received the memo. We can discuss the acquisition once I’m back in the office.”

Which office? Soonyoung wanted to ask, but held his tongue. “No, it’s not about the acquisition,” he said, gritting his teeth.

“Then there’s nothing to talk about, isn’t there?” An eyebrow curved up lazily.

It was then Soonyoung lost the hold he’d had on his temper. It was in his boisterous nature to have a short fuse, true, but years of swimming with the sharks in the corporate world had forced him to have a tight leash on his temper. Somehow, one look at Jeonghan had tossed all that training out the window. “We’re talking about it, right here, right now. I’m sick and tired of you acting like nothing is wrong, after ignoring me for years over what happened.”

That did the trick; the bravado disappeared from Jeonghan’s face, replaced by a mask of cold fury. “You-“

“You literally summoned me back!” Soonyoung shouted, no longer caring whether anyone else could hear them. “Do you think I wanted to come back? You’re hurting, sure, but has it ever crossed your mind that I’m hurting too?”

“Soonyoung.” He shot a glance towards the stairs, and saw yet another familiar face looking back at him. “Hello.”

Soonyoung merely pointed a finger at him. “Stay out of it, Seungcheol.”

“No,” Seungcheol said calmly as he approached. “Before you commence your shouting match for the entire household to hear, perhaps we should all sit down and have a nice, civil discussion that won’t worry any of our housemates. Hansol, can you take the bags upstairs-“

Soonyoung flung out his hand to stop Hansol from leaving his side. “No. Because we’re not staying. I came all the way here to see you,” he addressed Jeonghan, who was still staring at him with fathomless eyes. “I only got back this morning, and the first thing I did was to book a plane ticket after finding out where you were. I came back even though I didn’t want to, just so I could make sure everything you did behind my back would still go smoothly. I came here, despite knowing how you feel about me, because I wanted to resolve it. But apparently, I’ve been clowning myself for the past few years, thinking you’ll eventually forgive me for something I had no say in doing, something I’m suffering from more than you’ll ever know.” He hadn’t realised he was trembling until Hansol put a comforting hand on the small of his back.

“I’m done,” Soonyoung said wearily. “I’m done trying to make amends for something that was never my fault. Stay on your high horse, Jeonghan. I’m sorry I ever thought we could go back to what we used to be.”

He was so tired. It was the only coherent thought his sleep-deprived brain could formulate as he grabbed his bags, Hansol beside him. But before they could walk out the front door, a voice called out.

“Wait.”

So he did, stopping where he stood. 

“Let’s talk,” said Jeonghan.

*****

After upending the well-baked cake on a rack to cool down, Jihyun twiddled her thumbs as she spun around in one of the barstools, unsure as to whether she could leave the kitchen. Probably not; she would need to pass by the living room, where she’d promised Seokmin she wouldn’t go to until the coast was clear. Sighing, she took out a paper plate and began fanning the cake lazily so that it could cool down faster, all the while countless thoughts floating around her mind.

Lover? Family members? Come to think of it, Jeonghan had never mentioned his family, and whatever she’d heard from Jisoo hinted at a rocky relationship between Jeonghan and his family members. If so, Seokmin’s worry would make sense. Were they here to reprimand Jeonghan for the use of the holiday house? Perhaps to tell him he needed to go public as the President of the Yoon Corporation?

A quick touch revealed that the cake was good to go. Briskly, she took out the cake cutter and sliced it in the middle into three sections, before heading to the fridge and taking out the strawberry and whipped cream filling she’d made earlier with Jeonghan. With a spoon, she spread it evenly between two of the cake layers, and gave the two layers a gentle squeeze to ensure that the filling was even. For the second layer, she simply slathered some Nutella onto the cake. She was a sucker for chocolate, and if no one else wanted the cake, she’d simply finish it off herself. 

“That looks good,” Seokmin commented as he strolled into the kitchen.

She whipped her head up so fast, she nearly gave herself whiplash. “Is he-“

“I don’t know,” Seokmin answered truthfully. “But he decided on talking to his visitor instead of kicking him out instantly, so I’m hoping it’ll end well. He’ll be fine, Jihyun ah,” he added in a softer tone. “Don’t worry too much.”

“If you say so,” she replied, though it was obvious that she had reservations as to the accuracy of Seokmin’s statement. It was then she realised that there was someone else standing behind Seokmin. She thought being around unfairly attractive people on a daily basis would have given her a semblance of immunity towards beauty, but clearly, she was wrong.

The man was only slightly shorter than Seokmin, and had insanely beautiful features that reminded her of Dr. Han’s, suggesting that there was foreign nationality in his bloodline. But what struck her first was his eyes; they were an ashy gray, his piercing gaze jarringly similar to that of a lion’s, fierce yet gentle.

Wincing at her lack of manners, she walked around the counter to offer her hand. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you earlier.”

The man took her hand in a gentle grip and bowed slightly. “Choi Hansol, but please just call me Hansol. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Jihyun shot a glance at Seokmin, who shook his head slightly. So this wasn’t the visitor that was with Jeonghan now? Just how many visitors did they have? “Jung Jihyun, Jihyun will do. Nice to meet you too.”

“I’m Mr. Kwon’s personal assistant,” Hansol said, in reply to her unspoken question. “I accompanied him here to visit Mr. Yoon.”

“Hansol’s basically my counterpart,” Seokmin said, giving the man a small smile which was returned. “I’m supposed to show him to his room, but he got distracted by the smell of the cake.”

Hansol grinned sheepishly, earning a laugh from Jihyun. “I can understand,” she assured him. “Would you like a slice? I’ve just finished frosting it with strawberry and chocolate.”

Those grey eyes lit up, and Hansol didn’t look like the professional personal assistant anymore; instead, there was a childlike innocence in place, excited at the prospect of getting some cake. “Can I?”

“Of course.” Jihyun took out a cake cutter, preparing to cut the cake into eight equal pieces. 

“But can I come back down for it?” Hansol asked. “I have to put the bags in our rooms first, and I’d like to change into more comfortable clothes too.” He gestured at his rumpled shirt and pants.

Jihyun carefully placed a slice of cake on a white plate. “Sure. I’ll leave this here, so you can come down and enjoy it once you’re done. Which room will he be taking?” She asked Seokmin.

“I was thinking of giving Hansol the room on the first floor, and Mr. Kwon the room on the second.”

Jihyun nodded. “Nice. Give me a moment, will you? I’m thinking of heading up to my room anyway.”

Seokmin and Hansol patiently waited for her to cover up the remaining cake and place it in the fridge, before the three of them headed into the currently empty living room and up the stairs. “Where’s Jeonghan?”

“They went into the study,” Seokmin replied. “Seungcheol hyung is with them.”

So Seungcheol knew this Mr. Kwon as well? Before she could ask, they saw Seungkwan walking towards them from his room. “Seokmin, Jihyun!” He greeted them, as cheerful as ever. “Oh, who’s this?”

“We have visitors, Kwan,” Seokmin told him gently. “Seungkwan, meet Hansol. Hansol, Seungkwan.”

Seungkwan and Hansol each bowed before straightening up. “There’s cake in the kitchen if you want anything to eat,” Jihyun said, and Seungkwan brightened up. 

“Nice! But I was actually looking for you all to give you some good news. My mum invited us to dinner at my house tomorrow night. I’ll be spending the day with her, like I told Jeonghan hyung earlier, but you can come over at night. I’ll give you the address and everything.”

“Can you ask your mum if she’s okay with 2 more people joining?” Seokmin asked, and Hansol looked at him, awkwardness in his face.

“We wouldn’t want to-“

“Impose? Nonsense,” Seungkwan snorted. “My mum would smack your head if she heard you say that. Sure, Min, I’ll let her know.”

Seokmin’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh out loud at the flustered Hansol. “Thanks, Kwan. Can you show Hansol to his room? I gave him the last one on this floor.”

“Of course.” Without warning, Seungkwan plucked one of the bags out of Hansol’ hands, and guided the taller man down the hallway, chattering about how they could go down for cake together once Hansol had taken a shower.

Jihyun snickered. “I think Seungkwan’s overwhelming poor Hansol.”

“Let Seungkwan have his fun,” Seokmin laughed. “Trust me, once Hansol warms up to him, they’ll get along very well.”

They headed up to their floor. “You seem to know Hansol very well,” Jihyun prodded.

Seokmin hummed. “I suppose so. We deal with each other a lot when it comes to work.” Catching her look of confusion, Seokmin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “Mr. Kwon - Hansol’s boss - is the CEO of Yoon Corporation.”

Ah. It made sense now. “But they’re not here for business reasons, are they?” She asked as they pushed open the last door at the end of the hallway to what would be Mr. Kwon’s bedroom for the next few days.

“I don’t think so,” Seokmin replied carefully as he set the two bags down by the bed, but didn’t elaborate further. Jihyun supposed it was fair; any personal issues of Jeonghan would be his to tell whenever he wanted to, not Seokmin’s to gossip about behind his back.

Jihyun waved goodbye to Seokmin, who was heading down to check on Seungkwan and Hansol, before knocking on the door beside hers. At the muffled call of ‘come in’, she pushed open the door to see Jisoo lounging lazily on the bed, phone in hand as he scrolled. “Hi. Busy?”

“Never for you.” Jisoo set aside his phone and gave her a warm smile. “I was just checking the reports my colleagues sent me.”

Jihyun settled down beside him. “I made cake.”

“Remember when we used to bake together?”

“How could I forget you upending a whole bowl of flour on the floor?”

“That was once!” Jisoo protested indignantly.

She remembered that day clearly, remembered how she’d wiped the floor five times just to make sure that Jisoo’s parents wouldn’t find out, remembered how they still had managed to bake a cake after that. 

“You used to bake me birthday cakes every year.” Jisoo said quietly. “Always my favourite, vanilla with strawberries.”

And she remembered it too. Remembered how she’d always woke up earlier than usual to bake Jisoo’s birthday cake, how he’d blow the candles while she sang the birthday song, how it had always been just the both of them, his parents too busy, and no parties at his house because there were no adults around to supervise. It was perhaps not the most ideal way of celebrating birthdays, but they both knew that they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “The cake downstairs has strawberries too,” she told him. “And chocolate.”

“I’ve never understood your infatuation with chocolate,” Jisoo grumbled, though it was half-hearted.

Jihyun chuckled. “You don’t have to; you just need to buy me more.” After a moment of comfortable silence, she spoke again. “There’s a Mr. Kwon here to visit Jeonghan.”

Jisoo sat up. “Kwon Soonyoung?” He asked sharply.

“I don’t know. Seokmin just said he’s the CEO of Yoon Corporation.” She looked at the concern building up in Jisoo’s eyes, and her earlier uneasiness crept back. “It’s not good, is it?”

Jisoo frowned. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “If Soonyoung is here...” Jisoo’s voice trailed off at the end as he sank deep into his thoughts. They sat there, both of them silent, each calculating the various possible scenarios in their minds, the only difference being one of them knowing the full story and one had no idea. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” Jisoo finally said, breaking the silence, his voice heavy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dum dum dum. So Soonyoung, Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Hmm.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

Since Seungcheol was paying for the groceries, Jihyun supposed that it was hardly surprising to see the man already dressed and ready to go out with her to the markets when she walked down the stairs at 5.30 in the morning. “How did you even wake up for this?” Jihyun marvelled as she followed him out to the driveway, where the car was waiting. 

“I can wake up early,” Seungcheol protested, sliding behind the wheel. “So, where are we going?”

“The market Seungkwan brought us to on our first day,” she told him, and he nodded. “I’m glad you’re coming with me; saves me from needing to take multiple trips to the car.”

“Here to serve,” Seungcheol said dryly, and they set off. 

The market was already bustling with people when they arrived, despite the early hour. As Jihyun carefully navigated the horde, Seungcheol followed closely behind, shielding her from too much unwelcome jostling, and dutifully carrying bag after bag of fresh ingredients after forking out his wallet to pay at every single stall they stopped at. 

“We need to get more meat, I think,” Jihyun muttered as she surveyed the cuts on the counter. “What with two more guests in the house. Do you think you brought enough for it?” A baleful glare was Seungcheol’s reply. “Alright, sheesh.” After telling the butcher the cuts she’d chosen, she turned to Seungcheol while waiting for the butcher to pack up the slabs of meat for her. “Speaking of guests...”

“They’re friends of ours,” Seungcheol said blandly, passing her his wallet while managing to miraculously carry all the other bags in one hand. All those hours at the gym must’ve paid off. “And no, I’m not telling you anything more than that.”

“I wasn’t going to ask,” Jihyun replied innocently, and Seungcheol gave her a disbelieving stare. “Alright, maybe I was, damn it.”

*****

“How does bacon, eggs, toast and muffins sound like?” Jihyun called out as she shoved the last of the meat into the freezer.

Seungcheol swallowed the gulp of water he’d tossed into his mouth the moment his arms were free of bags. “Sounds amazing. I’ll help.”

Jihyun waved it away. “There’s nothing much to do; I can only start cooking when the others wake up so that the food won’t go cold, so I’m just going to bake the muffins. Go get some shut eye, or chill out on the beach.”

“I just might,” Seungcheol said, stifling a yawn. “You watched the sunrise yesterday, right?”

“Mm hmm.” Jihyun was already weighing out the ingredients she needed for the muffins. “It was lovely, but Seungkwan said there’s another spot on the island that has the best sunrise view. He refused to go with me, though.”

“Seongsan Ilchulbong?”

“I think so.”

“We’ll go before we leave,” Seungcheol promised while fighting yet another yawn. “But right now, I’ll go get a shower and nap for a bit. Who knew that grocery shopping was so tiring?”

Jihyun laughed. “Go. I’ll wake you up when breakfast is ready.”

“Thanks, Hyun.”

Twenty minutes later, a muffin pan was sitting cozily in the oven, where twelve muffin cups had been filled with batter and topped with a generous amount of chocolate chips. Humming to herself, Jihyun quickly washed up the dirty dishes and checked the time. It was almost 8, and she knew that some of the early risers - namely, Jisoo and Jihoon - would be coming down to hunt for food soon. So she started on the rest of today’s breakfast.

While frying strips of bacon in one pan on the left stove and frying three eggs in another pan on the right stove, Jihyun heard footsteps behind her. Without turning around, she called out, “Breakfast is almost ready.”

“Thank you.”

That wasn’t Jisoo, nor was it Jihoon. Carefully, Jihyun turned off both stoves and turned around to look at an endearingly rumpled, and unsurprisingly handsome man - she was convinced that Yoon Jeonghan surrounded himself with nothing but attractive men, it didn’t surprise her anymore - blinking at her through eyes that were slightly slanted up at the ends. His slightly curled dark hair was fluffy even though it was undoubtedly messy, and she had to resist the urge to pet down the tufts of unruly strands sticking out at awkward angles. It was the neat freak in her, though Mingyu would scoff if he ever heard her describe herself as ‘neat’.

“I’m Kwon Soonyoung,” the man introduced himself first. “Call me Soonyoung.”

“Good morning, Soonyoung. I’m Jung Jihyun, but call me Jihyun.” She gestured to the pans. “Take a seat. Breakfast will be served in a bit.” She quickly arranged three strips of bacon, two fried eggs, and two pieces of toast on a plate before setting it in front of Soonyoung. “Coffee or tea?”

“You don’t have to-“

“It’s fine; the coffee machine does all the work,” she reassured him, earning her a surprised laugh. “So, what will it be?”

“A latte, please. Thank you.” Picking up the fork and knife, he started wolfing down the food in a speed that worried her.

“You’ll get indigestion if you eat too fast,” she scolded lightly, setting the mug of coffee on the countertop. For better measure, she grabbed another glass and filled it with water, putting it beside the mug of coffee. 

Soonyoung chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry for the lack of table manners. I only had breakfast yesterday, and I woke up feeling really hungry.”

Jihyun winced in sympathy. “I’ll get you another serving later if you want,” she said, tossing a few more strips of bacon into the pan on the left, and cracking three eggs into the pan on the right. “There’s a lot, so don’t worry about depriving the others of food. Just make sure you’re not hungry.”

“You’re Jeonghan’s friend?” Soonyoung asked.

She didn’t turn around, occupied with flipping the eggs over expertly. “Yes. Are you Jeonghan’s friend?” She asked in return.

It took Soonyoung a moment before he answered. “I think so.”

Before Jihyun could say anything else, Jihoon walked into the kitchen and made a beeline for the coffee machine. It wasn’t until he took his first gulp of coffee of the day that he said, “Good morning.”

“To you as well.” Spatula in hand, Jihyun gestured absently towards the countertop. “I’ll grab you a plate.”

Jihoon looked at Soonyoung with a hint of curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He may have just crawled out of bed, but his mind was alert enough to know who he was seeing. “Mr. Kwon.”

Soonyoung visibly cringed. “Just Soonyoung will do, please. Have we met before?”

“I’m Lee Jihoon. And no, but you’re hardly an absolute stranger,” Jihoon said as he perched himself on the barstool beside Soonyoung’s. “I’ve seen your face on TV and in the newspapers often enough to know who you are. Are you here to see Jeonghan?”

“You could say that,” Soonyoung said, vaguely. The two struck up a casual conversation about work as Jihyun pulled out the fluffy muffins from the oven, and started popping them out from the tray. She dropped one on Jihoon’s plate, and looked at Soonyoung questioningly.

“Yes, please.”

It didn’t take long for the others to come downstairs, with Seungkwan skipping in, Seokmin and Hansol trailing behind him, followed by Jisoo, who apologised for his tardiness because of a call from the hospital. Despite being surrounded by familiar and unfamiliar faces, Soonyoung never showed any visible discomfort, instead chatted amiably with the rest of them. When she was serving Seokmin some more bacon, she heard Soonyoung talking to Seungkwan about a restaurant that he’d visited the last time he came to Jeju, which was many, many years ago. Later, while she was giving Jihoon his third cup of coffee for the morning, Soonyoung was talking to Seokmin about his flight to Jeju. When she was putting aside some of the food for Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who were still absent, she heard Jisoo telling Soonyoung about the call he’d gotten earlier from the hospital. 

But even after everyone had cleared their plates, Seungcheol and Jeonghan were nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, Jihyun set down the spatula in her hand, intending to go check on the both of them. But before she could head out of the kitchen, Soonyoung called her from where he was sitting alone at the kitchen counter. “You haven’t eaten anything yet.”

Oh. “I’m not really hungry,” she replied, wiping her hands on her pants. “I was just going to call Seungcheol and Jeonghan down for breakfast.”

“I suppose that’s my cue to leave.”

Confused, Jihyun stared at him. “I didn’t mean it that way,” she said hastily. “It’s just that the food’s going to get cold soon, and if they eat breakfast too late in the morning they might not have an appetite for lunch later. Plus, aren’t you guys friends?”

“We-“

“We are,” Jeonghan said as he came into the kitchen, Seungcheol at his heels. Jihyun observed as surprise, guilt, and relief flitted through Soonyoung’s eyes, before he turned around in the barstool to greet them a good morning. She had to swallow the sigh of envy when she caught a glimpse of Soonyoung’s side profile; his jawline looked as though it had been chiselled onto his face, and just accentuated the almighty CEO vibes even more. 

“Thanks,” Seungcheol chirped as Jihyun passed him the food. “Have you eaten yet?”

Before she could reply, Soonyoung spoke up. “She hasn’t. She’s been busy cooking and serving all of us breakfast.”

Jeonghan sighed. “Hyun, grab a plate and join us. You’re here to take a nice, relaxing vacation, not to play housekeeper.”

“I’d like to see you cook yourself a decent meal, Jeonghan,” Jihyun retorted calmly, but grabbed a muffin and took a huge bite. Perfect, she praised herself.

“Cheollie can cook for me.”

“Cheollie most definitely cannot cook, not even for you,” Seungcheol said hastily around a mouthful of egg. “Not unless you want to spend the rest of the trip in the hospital.”

“Soonyoung can cook,” Jeonghan sniffed. “Can’t you, Soonyoung?” Jihyun saw Soonyoung jolt, though she had a feeling it wasn’t because of Jeonghan’s threatening tone, but rather because he was being included. 

“If you don’t mind ramen, Jeonghan, I can most definitely cook.”

While Seungcheol snorted at Jeonghan’s delighted ‘aha!’, Jihyun observed the trio. All three of them had said they were friends, but judging by how they were tiptoeing around each other, it seemed like a new pair of shoes that had been lying in the shoe cabinet for a while and had finally been discovered, that would be uncomfortable on the feet in the beginning but grow to become one of the most comfortable shoes that would never be thrown away, regardless of how many trips to the cobbler it had needed.

At least, that was what she thought was going on. Also, she wondered if anyone would look at the three men in their pyjamas and see three men who held an ungodly amount of power over the economy of the country in their hands. Probably not; the words that normally came out from their mouths were words that could make or break a business, but right now the only thing they were talking about was whether cooking ramen constituted actual cooking skills. (She didn’t think it did.)

Amused, she quietly slipped away, leaving the three to their unnecessarily heated debate. When she reached the foot of the stairs, she saw Seungkwan coming down, excitement shining on his face, and remembered that the man was going to spend the day with his family before they would join him for dinner. “Have fun, Seungkwan ah,” Jihyun said warmly. “We’ll be on time tonight, don’t worry.”

“I normally would, but since you’re here, any worrying would be futile,” Seungkwan gave her a grin, which she returned, albeit slightly sheepishly. Perhaps she needed to tone down her habit of being half an hour early to everything. Recalling something, she started to ask if Seungkwan was taking a cab, but Seokmin appeared behind Seungkwan at that moment. 

“Ready, Kwan?”

Ah. “Drive safe,” she reminded, before continuing up the stairs. But instead of going to her own room, she stopped on the first floor and knocked on the first door. Without waiting for an answer, she just turned the knob and let herself in.

“What if I were naked?” Jihoon said lazily, reclining on the bed, phone in hand. 

“Then I’ll consider my eyes blessed.” Jihyun replied without missing a beat. “Ji, I need to ask you something.”

“Give me a moment, just need to check this final...done. No, wait. Okay, done.” With a few more taps, Jihoon put away his phone, only to meet Jihyun’s unimpressed stare. “What, you really thought I wasn’t even going to check the reports Irene sent over? I’m only human, Hyun.”

Jihyun wasn’t going to tell him that she’d snuck in some time to read Mingyu’s emails as well, which were filled with office gossip, actual work updates, and reminders to get him and Wonwoo souvenirs. She had a feeling Jihoon knew anyway. 

“So, what did you want to-“

“Is Seungcheol gay?”

Jihoon choked, and it took him a few minutes of strangled coughs, some cautious pats on his back, and half a bottle of water before he could speak, and the only thing he could say was “what?”.

“I said if Seungcheol is-“

“I heard you the first time,” Jihoon spluttered, holding a hand up. “What brought this about?”

“Just curious. Why are you avoiding the question?” She pressed on before Jihoon could probe any further. Jeonghan would most certainly not appreciate her asking Seungcheol’s best friend for information on his sexuality, even if it got him the answer he wanted, let alone letting Jihoon know about Jeonghan’s crush on Seungcheol. 

Jihoon gave her a dry look. “We-“ he wagged a finger at her, “first met because Seungcheol was hooking up with your roommate, whom, may I remind you, is undoubtedly a female.”

“Okay, fair. But is he into guys as well?”

“If this is about Soonyoung-“

Jihyun raised an eyebrow. “Did the both of them date?”

“No, I’m telling you they didn’t.” Frustrated, Jihoon rubbed his temples. “Look, Hyun, I don’t really know the answer to your question. I know that back in uni we always heard people gossiping about Cheol making out with guys at parties, but if he wanted to take it a further step, he never brought any of them back to our room; I’ve only seen girls whenever I got sexiled. And even now, whenever we go out, I’ve only seen Cheol pick up girls. So my best guess is that he wanted to satisfy his curiosity back then in uni, but he probably already grew out of that phase and is now a straight guy comfortable in his heterosexual skin. Satisfied?”

No, not really, Jihyun wanted to say, heart already hurting for Jeonghan, but nodded. “Thanks for telling me, Ji.”

“Are you going to do something stupid? If so, please tell Seungcheol I had nothing to do with this.”

“I’ll make sure I leave a note that says ‘Jihoon didn’t tell me about you being straight’ when he comes for me,” she promised before leaving the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted some domestic scenes. Seungcheol would definitely be the nice son who accompanies his mother to the market and carries all the bags, though.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

Seungcheol groaned. “Oh god, that feels so good.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes at his friend, who was stretching his limbs out after having jumped out from the van. “It wasn’t even that long a car ride; why are you being such a whiny baby?”

“Whiny baby,” Jisoo repeated, grinning. “I like that one.”

Today, they were visiting Camellia Hill, a botanical garden that claimed to have more than just camellias, despite its name. Seungkwan had assured them that it was a place both locals and tourists visited, and would be well worth the long drive there. Lucky for them, it was a weekday, which meant a smaller crowd than the place would normally see on weekends. 

Jihyun and Jeonghan came back from the ticketing booth, tickets in hand. They seemed to be deep in conversation, their faces too somber for such a lovely outing, until Jeonghan smiled and patted her on the shoulder before heading towards him. Jeonghan said nothing, merely stayed by his side as Jihyun patiently herded their group towards the entrance. 

The garden grounds were obviously well-tended, every single inch of it perfect as a photo backdrop. Jihyun and Jihoon were already reading the small discreet signs by the shrubs detailing the particular plant, while Seokmin was occupied by taking photos of an amused Hansol with some golden reeds as the background. Seungcheol and Soonyoung had disappeared, presumably down a fork in the path where there was a sign that said ‘cafe’. 

As they walked down the trail, the distance between them and the rest of their friends slowly growing, Jeonghan was still silent by his side, with no sign of asking Jisoo to take photos of him with the blooming camellia trees, which should have been his usual first response the moment he saw the gorgeous blooms. Jisoo was getting worried. So he spoke up first. “Han, do you want some photos with the flowers?” When Jeonghan didn’t respond, he called out again, gentler than earlier. “Han?”

“Hmm?”

“I asked if you wanted to take some photos with the flowers.”

“Oh, it’s alright.”

“They’re pretty, aren’t they?”

“Oh.” Jeonghan looked around the garden, probably for the first time since they stepped foot in it, and smiled, though it was a smile that was too heavy for Jisoo to enjoy. “Yes, they are.”

“Han.” Unable to bear it any longer, Jisoo took his hand, stopping the both of them in the middle of the trail. Their friends were nowhere to be seen, and Jisoo wasn’t sure if they had been walking too fast or had fallen behind, but he wasn’t sure he cared. “Han, what’s wrong?”

Jeonghan was silent for a moment before he spoke. “I always thought I’d given up all semblance of hope when it came to Seungcheol,” he said softly. “That I already knew that nothing could ever happen between us, that I would be content with merely staying by his side, even as a friend, that I would be truly happy when he finally marries the person he loves. But why,” his voice cracked, and so did Jisoo’s heart, “why does it still hurt so badly when I’m faced with the truth?”

Surrounded by gorgeous camellias in full bloom, Jeonghan was still the prettiest among them all, despite the heartbroken smile on his face, and the shine in his eyes that betrayed the tears he was holding back. Jisoo stepped forward, took his friend into his arms, and rested his cheek against Jeonghan’s as he murmured empty words of comfort. He could feel warm liquid sliding down his cheek, but he wasn’t sure if they were Jeonghan’s tears or his. 

Some of the other doctors in the hospital subscribed to the belief that if you cry because someone else was crying, it was a reflex akin to the chain reaction when people saw another person yawning. “After all,” they had said, “you don’t cry whenever a patient cries.”

But Jisoo had always thought differently. He was firm in his opinion that crying when another person cried was because you felt the pain the other person did; it was an emphatic and wholly human reaction, and the closer you were to that person, the more it hurt, even if you weren’t the person truly suffering from the pain firsthand. 

“You can’t feel another person’s pain!”

Can’t you? Jisoo thought, as he tightened his arms around his friend, whose figure was shaking with silent sobs. He’d always winced and grimaced whenever his young patients cried out from pain, though he always managed to hide it well; after all, he had to put on a brave an encouraging front for them. But when it came to those he truly loved, seeing them suffer was akin to putting his heart through a meat grinder. 

Years of watching Jeonghan struggle in his love for Seungcheol had always left Jisoo bitter, and he yearned to tell Jeonghan to forget Seungcheol, to stop hurting himself, because Jisoo was suffering as well. But he knew it wasn’t a simple crush that Jeonghan could simply ‘get over’; the love Jeonghan had for Seungcheol ran bone-deep, and was the kind bards sang about, the kind that would make poets weep with sorrow. Suffering or not, Jeonghan would never give Seungcheol up, because there was no one else for Jeonghan. 

Further away on the trail, Jihyun raised the camera to her eyes and framed a shot of the two, wrapped together tightly in an embrace, forming a hauntingly beautiful yet heartbreaking scene. She felt guilt assault her own heart; she had a feeling she knew what had triggered Jeonghan’s sadness that she could sense despite the distance between them. She felt guilty, not because she had told Jeonghan what Jihoon had said, but because it was causing him more pain than he should go through. 

“Should we?” Beside her, Jihoon murmured, eyes on the two intertwined figures as well.

She shook her head with a sigh. “We came here to heal,” she said quietly. “Jeonghan brought us here because we needed the break, needed the time for our broken hearts, and because he was suffering too. He needed this vacation as much as we did. But now, the both of us are...” she looked at Jihoon. “Better. I can’t say fully healed, but we’re on our way there.”

Jihoon took her hand, and it was as though she could hear his thoughts. I’m here, the warm hand on hers seemed to say. We’re together. She carried on. “But Jeonghan isn’t. And how unfair is that? That this selfless, kind, wonderful human being has to suffer while everyone gets better?” She felt tears prick her eyes, and she raised her free hand to swipe them away angrily. “And I can’t even do anything about it. This is one of those times where being his friend isn’t enough anymore. I’ll be here to pick up the broken pieces, but I can’t do anything to prevent him from shattering in the first place.”

“This is about Seungcheol, isn’t it?” Jihoon said, though it was phrased as a statement rather than a question. “Jeonghan’s in love with Seungcheol?”

“And nothing could ever come out from it,” Jihyun said, a bitter laugh escaping her. “He doesn’t deserve it, Ji. He pulled us out from our heartbreaks, yet we can’t do anything but watch as he breaks his own heart, over and over again.”

Yet another distance away, Hansol was observing the duo, connected by their hands, while Seokmin was occupied with taking a selfie with a fallen bloom that he’d placed behind his ear. “Are Jihyun and Jihoon hyung dating?” Hansol asked Seokmin, who shook his head.

Seokmin took a break from his selfie session to look in the direction of Hansol’s gaze, and shook his head. “They’re close, but not in the romantic sense. Jeonghan hyung has always said that they’re like siblings.”

Siblings. “Jeonghan hyung,” Hansol started, but held back at the last moment. 

“Give him some time.” Seokmin had already pocketed his phone, and was looking at Hansol with a patient look in his eyes. “It’s not easy for him.”

“It’s not easy for Soonyoung hyung either,” Hansol protested miserably. 

Seokmin clasped Hansol’s shoulders. “I know. I’m not taking sides, Hansol. But Jeonghan hyung - he feels as though he has to choose a side, despite the absurdity, and I’m not even sure whether him repairing his relationship with Soonyoung hyung is because he’s finally realised how idiotic he’s been acting for the past few years, or whether he still harbours that unreasonable guilt inside his heart. It hasn’t been easy on him-“

“It hasn’t been easy on Soonyoung hyung either!” Hansol exclaimed sharply. “Sure, Jeonghan hyung was suffering, I get that. But he was here, surrounded by people who loved him, like Seungcheol hyung and Jisoo. Whereas Soonyoung hyung was all the way in Japan, where the only person he knew was me, and I hardly qualified as someone whom he could turn to when he needed a good cry.

“Every single day, all I could do was keep him company as he worked himself to the bone, just so he could fall into a deep sleep the moment he got home, because he didn’t want to think about it. Everything that was supposed to be Jeonghan hyung’s responsibilities came to him, and every single time he saw anything that reminded him of Jeonghan hyung, he had to just push his feelings away, because it was his job. Do you know that every single year, on the days of Jeonghan hyung and Seungcheol hyung’s birthdays, he goes out alone to drink until he’s fully wasted? Do you know that he hasn’t seen his family for years, that every single time we come back for work matters we’d leave the country the moment everything is settled, just because he doesn’t want to remind them of what happened?

“So yes, Seokmin, I get it, Jeonghan hyung suffered. But trust me, Soonyoung hyung went through hell. And if everything goes to hell against this time, I’m going to take Soonyoung hyung away. Because he doesn’t deserve to be hurt over this, not one bit.”

Seungcheol and Soonyoung exited the cafe, each holding a cup of coffee. “You still don’t drink your coffee black, huh,” Seungcheol teased his companion, who scrunched up his nose.

“You’re the only weird one who drinks it black, Cheol.” The nickname slipped out instinctively, and Soonyoung froze, but Seungcheol didn’t seem to mind as he laughed and took a small sip of his horrendous black coffee.

And Soonyoung wondered if he were the only one affected by his absence all these years. If not, he wondered how Jeonghan and Seungcheol could talk to him like nothing had ever happened, how they could still smile at him and joke with him like they always used to.

The two of them sat down at one of the tables outside the cafe, and Seungcheol said, “He’s trying.”

Soonyoung didn’t need to ask who ‘he’ was. “I know.”

But how could he explain to Seungcheol that he couldn’t clear away all the hurt and anger that had been built up inside his heart as easily as the both of them seemed to have done, that he didn’t know how to? That despite Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s assurances that they would rebuild their relationship, that the issue wouldn’t tear them apart anymore, a part of him was still sceptical and fearful?

He’d gone through it once. He didn’t think he could go through it another time. 

“Hey.” Seungcheol leaned across the table, eyes full of quiet concern. “I know that it’s probably weird-“

Soonyoung couldn’t help a hoarse chuckle. “Tell me about it.”

“But,” Seungcheol continued. “Jeonghan meant it when he said that no matter how this ends, he wasn’t going to let this issue separate the three of us any longer. When you first told him you were coming back, he was upset, but mainly because he was confused. He missed you, Young. Believe me, he did. Do you know that we always went out for a meal on your birthday, despite none of us explicitly mentioning that it was your birthday?”

Flummoxed for a moment, Soonyoung just looked at Seungcheol, and then laughed helplessly. “I always went out drinking on both of your birthdays. Because I didn’t want to remember how we used to go out celebrating, and I wanted to remind myself you didn’t need my birthdays wishes so I shouldn’t send them. But I think part of me was wishing I would get drunk enough and send you the birthday wishes anyway, so that I could blame it on the alcohol.”

With a gentle curve of his lips, Seungcheol took his hand. “We were all messed up. But please, know that no matter how broken we were back then, we never stopped loving you, Young.”

“I never stopped loving the both of you either,” Soonyoung admitted. And as he watched Seungcheol grin at him brightly, as bright as the flowers around them, a flicker of hope flared up in Soonyoung’s heart, and he took a deep breath before tossing himself off the edge.

Perhaps it still terrified him, jumping into the unknown, but he was willing to put his trust and his heart on the table, because he loved his friends, and they loved him too. Perhaps love wasn’t always enough, but it was a good start.

Friends, he repeated the word in his mind in awe, and warmth bloomed in his chest. He finally had his friends back.

*****

“You’re here!” Seungkwan greeted the group enthusiastically as they got off the van, his cheeks flushed and his eyes bright. “Dinner’s ready, let’s go in!”

Jihyun stifled a groan of discomfort as she got out of the van the last, closing the door behind her. After instructing the driver to return for them in two hours, she turned around to join her friends, who were already greeting an older woman standing at the door of Seungkwan’s house. “Ajumeoni,” Jihyun said, bowing to the woman. “Thank you for having us over for dinner.”

The woman bore a striking resemblance to Seungkwan, and her eyes shone with genuine warmth and happiness as she looked at her son’s friends. “No need for the formalities, child. You must be Jihyun, as you’re the only girl I see.”

“Yes, ajumma.” Jihyun fought off a wave of nausea as she bent down to put her shoes to the side of the doorway. “Do you need help with the cooking?”

Seungkwan’s mother waved her hand airily. “No, no, it’s all done! Come, all of you, have a seat. Kwannie, get your friends something to drink!”

“It’s coke or nothing,” Seungkwan warned as he went into the kitchen. Jihyun carefully sat down at the last available spot at the end of the table between Jisoo and Soonyoung. She closed her eyes momentarily, letting the sounds of her friends chatting and the scent of what would definitely be amazing food wash over her as she tried to calm her roiling stomach down. 

“Are you okay?” On her left, Soonyoung asked her in a low voice. She opened her eyes, and looked at him blearily. 

“Just a little carsick,” she said softly, not wanting to alert Jisoo, who would fuss over her like a mother hen if he found out. “I’ll be fine later, don’t worry.”

Soonyoung cocked his head to one side. “You should’ve taken the shotgun seat.” His voice was quiet, yet she could discern the hint of exasperation in it. 

“Jeonghan gets carsick as well. And he’d whine about it more than I would.” She added the last sentence, hoping to lighten the concern in Soonyoung’s eyes. Funny how someone she just met yesterday had noticed her discomfort, despite her valiant efforts at hiding it from the others. But she supposed Soonyoung hadn’t gotten to where he was today without being observant. “Honestly, don’t worry. I’ll be fine once I get some food in me.”

Soonyoung nodded, and the matter was put to an end as dinner was served. The table was groaning under the sheer amount of dishes Seungkwan’s mother had prepared. After the usual chorus of “thank you, we’ll eat well”, Jihyun occupied herself with her coke as she let her friends take their share first, relieved when the cold sugary drink calmed down her stomach somewhat. 

Before she could lift her chopsticks, a pair dropped some veggies carefully on top of her plate. She looked to her right, ready to thank Jisoo, but was surprised when she saw that Jisoo was busy telling Seungkwan about their outing today. 

Soonyoung?

Indeed, the man was putting some slices of meat on her plate as she looked at him, baffled. “Eat up,” was all he said when he caught her staring. Forcing her jaw to snap shut, she mumbled her appreciation and dug in. 

Seungkwan’s mother’s cooking was - there was no other word for it - otherworldly. And her marinated crab - Jihyun wondered if she would give her the recipe if she asked nicely. The only thing that had left her feeling uneasy and slightly amused was how everything that she ate that night had been served to her by Soonyoung. He seemed to have taken her earlier assurance that she would feel better once she had some food in her to heart, and throughout the dinner had ensured that her plate would be full, despite her halfhearted protests that she was already bursting at the seams. 

“Thank you for the dinner, ajumma,” Jihyun said sincerely as she gave the older woman a hug, the van waiting outside to bring them home. “It was lovely. Seungkwan wasn’t kidding when he said your food is the best he’s ever tasted.”

A slight flush appeared on the woman’s cheeks. “Nonsense,” she scolded fondly. “Thank you for taking care of my Kwannie, Jihyun ah. I know you don’t work together,” she said before Jihyun could explain. “But I’m glad he has someone like you as his friend.”

Touched, Jihyun gave the woman another hug. “I’m lucky to have him as a friend as well. Don’t worry, ajumma, we’ll take good care of Seungkwan for you. I’ll make sure he comes home more often.”

“I’ll force him to do that, ajumma, don’t worry.” Behind her, Jeonghan promised solemnly. “Come and visit us sometime, alright? But I’m afraid the food will be a disappointment; nothing will ever beat your cooking.”

“Ah, this boy.” Chuckling, Seungkwan’s mother went over to pinch Jeonghan’s cheek tenderly. “Yes, I’ll make sure to visit when I can. Take care of yourself, Jeonghan ah.”

No wonder Seungkwan was such a delight to be around, Jihyun thought to herself, smiling involuntarily. He had obviously been raised with love and care, and she knew firsthand how important these two elements were when it came to raising a child. She turned towards Jisoo, who was smiling as well, eyes soft as he watched Jeonghan’s flirting with Seungkwan’s mother. 

She supposed the both of them had been lucky enough to find love and care in each other. 

*****

It was almost two in the morning, and Jihyun couldn’t sleep.

She had been tossing and turning in her bed for the past hour, and had tried everything from counting fluffy little sheep jumping over a wooden stile to drawing imaginary circles, and nothing had worked. Her mind was truly exhausted, but it wouldn’t shut down, powered by some mysterious source of caffeine she couldn’t remember drinking. 

Damn it.

With an irritated sigh, she slid off the bed, and padded over to her bedroom door in the darkness. The hallway was empty, but that was hardly unexpected. Quietly, she went down the stairs, past the first floor and straight to the ground floor, where all the lights had been switched off and it was a sea of total darkness. Trying to pull up the layout of the floor in her mind, she carefully inched towards what she hoped was the kitchen, hands outspread in front of her to ensure that she wasn’t going to run headfirst into a wall.

Her eyes finally found the small blue rectangle on the far wall, and she gratefully sped up to tap on the panel, which caused the kitchen to be bathed in a soft golden glow. She made her way over to the refrigerator, and hummed at her options. Should she go with warm milk, or should she go with alcohol? A quick glance at the clock on the wall gave her the answer she was looking for. Warm milk would soothe her frazzled nerves and might slowly lull her into sleep, but downing an unusually large amount of alcohol would send her straight into dreamland with no stops along the way. She grabbed the bottle of unfinished Chivas sitting quietly in the corner of the fridge, and sent up a silent apology to Seungcheol and Jihoon for looting their precious whiskey. 

She was sure they’d understand. At least, she hoped they would.

Drinking in the kitchen wouldn’t do; she’d be falling asleep on the kitchen counter, and that would earn her a lot of yelling and disappointed glares when she woke up tomorrow - damn it, later this morning. So she grabbed the mug she had been using for the past few days, and headed back to her room after shutting off the lights. 

She was already at the top of the stairs on the second floor when she suddenly heard the sound of a door being opened. She froze, trying to decipher whether it was coming from the second floor or from the first, and stifled a groan when she realised it was the second floor. From where she was standing, she had a direct view of Jeonghan’s room, where the door was still shut. That meant that she wouldn’t need to be worried about being lectured by Jeonghan on the dangers of drinking a half bottle of whiskey by herself. However, that still left her with Seokmin and Jisoo; the former would not hesitate waking his boss up if he discovered Jihyun, and the latter would simply send her a disappointed glance that would do all the work for him.

Suddenly, she heard some slow footsteps approaching the stairs, and she very nearly groaned out loud in frustration. Damn it, she just wanted to sleep. Steeling her nerves, she prepared herself to explain why she was on the stairs with a bottle of spirits in her hand at 2 in the morning, and to justify that she was a full-fledged adult who had every right to-

Her jaw fell open as she saw the man standing in front of her with a look of utter confusion. 

“Jihyun?”

As nonchalantly as she could manage, she said, “Good morning, Soonyoung.”

Inside, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the ridiculousness of the entire situation. Here she was, in her pyjamas, whiskey in hand, staring at Soonyoung, who was dressed up in a crisp white shirt and grey sweats, laptop grasped firmly in his hand, who was staring at her with complete bafflement in his eyes. 

“That is a bottle of whiskey.” Soonyoung said.

She held it up. “Indeed.”

“Can I ask why you were attempting to sneak a bottle of whiskey into your room?”

She supposed it was better to be truthful than to lie, firstly because she doubted he would buy any lie she fabricated, secondly because she was defiantly confident that there was no crime in drinking at what was going to be three in the morning. “I couldn’t sleep, and getting drunk helps me fall asleep.”

Something flickered through Soonyoung’s eyes, too fast for her to comprehend, but to her complete surprise, he smirked. “Mind if I join?”

Which was how, ten minutes later, the both of them were in the study off to the side of the living room, snickering like two children who were trying to do something their parents had specifically ordered them not to do. With the help of a pair of tongs, Jihyun placed a few ice cubes into both of their mugs before pouring a couple of fingers of golden amber liquid inside, while Soonyoung tapped at his laptop. When Soonyoung looked up, he lifted an eyebrow. “You drink your whiskey neat?”

Jihyun snorted. “It’s such a cliche notion that only guys can do that. I’m not the biggest fan of drinking it straight, but I do want to fall asleep. Also, I can’t believe you scheduled an online conference at three in the morning.”

“It’s just past noon there,” Soonyoung shrugged, as though he was well used to having his sleeping schedule disrupted and his mind rudely awakened for work. 

“Still.” Taking a heady sip of her drink, Jihyun wandered off to look out the window behind Soonyoung’s seat. She could barely make out the beach and the sea in the darkness, but could distinctly hear the sound of the soft waves as they crashed into each other rhythmically. “Are you sure it’s fine for me to stay? I do work for your competition, you know.”

Another shrug. “It’s nothing much, don’t worry. Just give me perhaps fifteen minutes, and it’ll just be us and the alcohol.”

True to his word, he was done in fifteen minutes. “Your English is really good,” Jihyun commented, looking at him over the rim of her mug, where there was only one last sip left, which she didn’t hesitate to down in one go. 

Soonyoung reached for the bottle before she could, and refilled her mug. “Spending time with Hansol helped. He’s half-American,” Soonyoung explained. “Which was one of the main factors I hired him; he’s fluent in both Korean and English, which means that he can be my translator whenever necessary.”

“I learnt from Jisoo,” Jihyun told him, watching as he leant back in the plush armchair and took a sip from his own mug. Despite the early hour, despite the apparent weariness hidden behind his alert gaze, Soonyoung still looked every inch the CEO he was. 

“Jisoo is the doctor, right? Did you meet through Jeonghan?”

“Of sorts. But not quite.” Her fingers fiddled with the handle of her mug. “We grew up together. It...it’s a long story.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” Gently, Soonyoung reassured her. “After all, we’re here so that you can get drunk and fall asleep. Anything else that won’t contribute to you dozing off isn’t on the schedule.”

His attempt at lightening the mood worked; she laughed softly. “It’s not a morbid story; after all, we’re both here. But it is pretty long.”

Soonyoung’s steady gaze was still on hers. “We have time, if you want to tell me about it.”

So she did. She told him about her parents’ deaths, about the deal Dr. Hong had offered her, about the years she’d spent taking care of the Hong household but most importantly, Jisoo, about the misunderstanding that led to the both of them spending years apart from each other, and how they’d met again when she brought Jeonghan home.

“Is that why you’re such a caregiver?” Soonyoung asked when she’d finished. 

She finished off her third mug, and refilled it again. The familiar heat had arose in her body, and she knew that her face was probably as red as the setting sun, with similar splotches along the rest of her body, but the blissful feeling of falling into a deep slumber was still maddeningly elusive. “Caregiver?” She repeated.

“Aren’t you?” Soonyoung countered. “You made and served us breakfast. You reminded Jihoon to grab a jacket in case he got cold. You scolded Hansol and Seokmin for racing each other along the trails. You fussed over Jeonghan’s hair before we left for Seungkwan’s for dinner because you said Jeonghan was Seungkwan’s boss and needed to make a good first impression. I might have only met you for a day, Jihyun, but I think it’s an apt description.”

Only a day? For a moment, she realised that she’d told a person she’d only met for a day her life story over alcohol, like a horribly written romcom, and wondered if it would be too late to grab the bottle and retreat back to her own room, where she could drink it all in a valiant attempt to forget this uncharacteristic behaviour of hers that screamed desperation. 

“We may have only met for a day, but I didn’t mind listening to your story.”

Oh, god. She rested her head against her mug on the table. Was he a telepath as well? And a kind one, too, who was trying to spare her further embarrassment with his placating words. 

“After all, if I’m going to be friends with Cheol and Han, it would mean being friends with you by extension. You would’ve-”

“Nope,” she said without looking up.

Soonyoung was silent for a moment as he tried to process the reason behind her interruption. “We’re not friends?”

“Not friends by extension.” She raised her mug, and looked at him pointedly. “Why can’t we be friends? Is there an exclusive circle that’s limited to Jeonghan and Seungcheol and no one else?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to be friends.” Truly, that had been his only thought whenever he looked at the other occupants of the house - that they would have heard the story from Jeonghan or Seungcheol, and would have found it repulsive to think about befriending him, regardless of how Seungcheol and Jeonghan may have changed their minds.

After finishing yet another mug, Jihyun added some ice cubes before pouring in more whiskey. “I don’t know the story, actually.”

Ah. That’s why she wasn’t giving him the stink eye. But before Soonyoung could formulate an appropriate response, Jihyun continued. “And you don’t need to tell me the story. I just wanted to say that whether or not we’re friends doesn’t - and shouldn’t - depend on whether Seungcheol and Jeonghan made amends with you. You’re a nice guy. You don’t seem to be a murderer on the loose. You speak two languages-“

“Three, actually.” Amused, Soonyoung smiled at the woman in front of him, whose face was flushed yet eyes still steady as she tried to list out his good points. “I speak Japanese as well, which is why I’ve been based in Japan for the past few years.”

Jihyun pointed a finger at him. “See? Three languages. Which just further affirms my theory that you’re a person whom it would be nice to be friends with.” Her gaze softened as she looked at him. “I can’t guarantee that I’d always take your side over Jeonghan’s or Seungcheol’s. But I can assure you that I’m not someone who would blindly follow whatever they say without listening to your side of the story first. Shouldn’t that count for something?”

The clink of his mug against hers was the answer, and her returning smile was brilliantly bright and warm, causing something in Soonyoung’s chest to stir, though not unpleasantly. 

An hour later, the bottle of Chivas was empty, and Soonyoung was pleasantly buzzed. Looking at his newfound friend, he realised that Jihyun had finally achieved her goal of the night - or morning - which was to fall asleep. She was leaning back in her chair, head lolling towards her left, yawning as she put her mug on the table. “Sleepy,” she mumbled. 

Charmed despite himself, he walked around the table to crouch down beside her. “Come on, let’s get you back to your room.”

“Don’t wanna.” She pulled her knees up onto the chair, and curled up in the seat, eyes fluttering shut. “Sleepy.”

And Soonyoung would have just left her there with a blanket, if she hadn’t expressly ordered him to send her back to her room after she was down, because if any of the others found out what they’d done, ‘there would be hell to pay and I can’t afford that’. “Come on, Jihyun, you told me to get you back to your room, remember?”

“Yep.”

“So-“

“But I don’t wanna.”

An exasperated and amused huff burst out from him. “I’m going to get Jeonghan,” he threatened. 

“Like you could get him out of bed at this ungodly hour,” Jihyun replied with another yawn.

“Come on, just stand up,” Soonyoung coaxed. For a split moment, he wondered what he was doing, taking care of a woman he’d only just met at four in the morning, when his own body was already threatening to shut down from the exhaustion coming from within, but here he was. 

To his surprise, Jihyun did climb out of the chair, though not without some muttered grumbling and groaning. Relieved, Soonyoung hooked an arm around her, and after making sure that the empty bottle and two mugs were hidden under the table, he led the both of them out of the room. 

As he carefully manoeuvred the half-awake Jihyun up the stairs, keeping a firm grip on her waist, her head had found a resting spot against his chest, the top of her dark hair barely reaching his shoulders. Surprisingly, he found that he didn’t mind the simple gesture; instead, it was comforting to find that her subconscious had deemed him safe enough in her state of inebriation. It was different from having flirtatious women sidle up against him with the intention of ending up in his bed, and he found that he preferred this innocent, platonic gesture far more than the ones meant to kindle his lust.

Opening the door to her room, he gently disentangled her from his body, and watched as she rubbed her knuckles against her lidded eyes. “Have a good sleep,” he whispered, taking care not to wake any of their housemates up. 

“Mmm. Thank you,” Jihyun whispered back, stifling another yawn.

It was indeed four in the morning when he finally got into his own bed, but the last coherent thought that his tired mind could form before he fell into a deep slumber was that he didn’t mind the late hour, not at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some calm before the storm.


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Why,” Soonyoung said in a loud tone, “am I not even remotely surprised?”

He’d snagged a pitiful five hours of sleep, and if it weren’t for Hansol’s hesitant knocks on his bedroom door, checking to see whether his boss was going to come down for breakfast, he wouldn’t be in the kitchen, desperate for a cup of coffee to jolt his sleepy mind awake. 

But Jihyun stood behind the counter, her face fresh and eyes bright as she gave Hansol a bowl of warm porridge. She smiled at him, and there was no strain in it whatsoever. “Good morning, Soonyoung. Grab a seat; I’ll get you some porridge.”

Soonyoung took the seat beside Hansol’s, but his suspicious glare never left Jihyun. “What time did you wake up?” He demanded. 

“Seven.” Jihyun was clearly amused as she watched Soonyoung struggle between wanting to ask her how she had managed that feat, and keeping his mouth shut due to Hansol’s presence. “Latte?”

“Definitely,” Hansol piped up from beside him. “He doesn’t like his coffee black.”

Jihyun programmed the coffee machine accordingly before ladling a bowl of porridge for him. “Here,” she said cheerfully. The coffee machine beeped, but instead of passing him the mug of steaming coffee, she took out a teaspoon and started stirring it. Catching his confused gaze, she shrugged lightly. “It’ll cool down much faster so you can gulp it down later once you’ve finished your porridge,” she explained, still stirring the coffee deftly. 

“You don’t have to-“

“Soonyoung ah.” Her tone was patient, but he could sense the underlying steel. “Just eat your porridge.”

Soonyoung could sense Hansol’s curious gaze burning into his side as he methodically scooped spoonful after spoonful of chicken porridge into his mouth, but thankfully, Hansol kept his tongue firmly inside his cheek, only letting it out to ask for a second serving, which Jihyun was more than happy to give. The moment Soonyoung finished the last of his porridge, the coffee mug that Jihyun had been stirring was placed in front of him, no longer steaming hot but a tolerable warmth. She said nothing, and neither did he as he gulped it all down in one go, the caffeine and porridge warming his body inside out. 

“Thanks for breakfast,” Hansol said as he washed up his bowl and spoon. “I’m going to see what Seungkwan and Seokmin have planned for the day.”

The moment Hansol left the kitchen, Soonyoung pointed a finger at Jihyun, who was taking dainty spoonfuls of her own bowl of porridge and was utterly unfazed. “You slept at four,” he started.

“Soonyoung, if you expect me to know the time-“

“It was four,” he confirmed. 

“If you say so.”

“I say so. And you woke up at seven?”

“I’ve always been an early riser.” He could see that she was trying not to laugh, but the twitching of her lips hinted at her impending failure. 

“You don’t even look tired!”

“Because I’m not.” As he’d predicted, a low chuckle escaped her lips. “Somehow, the later I sleep, the earlier I wake up. Though in all fairness, I’ll probably crash a few hours before my usual bedtime.” 

“You aren’t even hungover,” Soonyoung whined. It was childish of him, and he knew that, but how could life be so unfair? As someone who constantly went through unending cycles of sleep deprivation and suffered painfully from it, having to go through the day fuelled by nothing but caffeine and his own stubborn motivation, he couldn’t understand how she could look so...human after a night of drinking and only three hours of sleep. 

Jihyun grinned. “The perks of being young, I suppose.”

“You’re only a year younger than me!”

“Semantics.” She waved it away airily, twirling her spoon in the air. The next moment, the playful facade faded away, and she looked at him solemnly. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

“Can’t say no to alcohol,” he replied lightly. 

Another laugh. “I’ll be sure to remind you the next time we drink.”

It was the way she said it, that she was sure there would be a next time, that made a corner of his lips curve up. 

*****

Jagunae Port was one of the most popular places on the island to witness the sunset, and despite it being a whopping two hours more until the predicted time for the sun to say its goodbyes, the port was already bustling with people, both locals and tourists alike. 

With Seungkwan in the lead, the group traipsed along a short walking trail before reaching a cafe. The minute they walked through the door, a cheerful voice called out, “Seungkwan hyung!”

It had come from a young man dressed in what was likely the uniform for the cafe employees, his adorable face beaming with joy upon seeing Seungkwan. As there were no other customers waiting to be served, he hurriedly came out from behind the counter to give Seungkwan a hug. “I haven’t seen you in ages!” He berated, and Seungkwan laughed. 

“I haven’t been back for some time, Juyeon. You’ve grown taller, haven’t you?”

“Trust me, hyung, I’m going to tower over you one day,” the boy called Juyeon replied sassily, and Seungkwan gave him a light smack on the arm. 

“Insolent. Juyeon, these are the friends who’re travelling with me. Guys, this is Lee Juyeon, my childhood friend and neighbour.”

Juyeon bowed politely. “Hello, I’m Lee Juyeon, please call me Juyeon!”

“Aigoo, how adorable,” Jeonghan cooed, stepping forward to put an arm around the young man’s shoulders. “Come, I’ll order some drinks and food for the rest.”

“Of course!” Juyeon passed him a laminated menu, and Jihyun couldn’t help notice the sparkle of amazement in Juyeon’s eyes when he looked at Jeonghan. One could hardly blame him, Jihyun thought dryly; she had yet to see someone immune to Jeonghan’s beauty, though the novelty quickly wore off once you got to know the man better. Tilting her head to one side, she wondered if Jeonghan ever despised being known and appreciated for his good looks instead of his personality or his hard work. Perhaps she should ask him one day.

There was a nudge to her shoulder, and she turned around to see Soonyoung looking at her. “You looked like you were thinking about something,” he murmured. “Care to share?”

“Maybe later,” was all she managed to say before Seungkwan herded them towards the back of the cafe, where the wall had been removed, replaced by a wooden table lining the side of the cafe and some comfortable-looking armchairs. But what was amazing was the view; the chairs would give them a direct view of the sunset across the sea, without any overeager tourists in the way. Only a couple of seats at the end were occupied; the rest were empty.

“I had Juyeon reserve these spots for us,” Seungkwan whispered, as though he was revealing a diabolical plan. “It’s the best way to admire the sunset, trust me.”

“I don’t doubt it,” Jihyun whispered back, her heart soaring. The view of the shoreline was already breathtaking, and she was certain that the sunset later would be even more majestic. “Thanks, Seungkwan.”

The man puffed out his cheeks. “Well, gotta do my homeland proud.”

Giggling, Jihyun shook her head and settled down in the last spot along the row of chairs. They still had a while to go before the sun would set, but she didn’t think she minded sitting here and waiting while she admired the view in front of her eyes, 

Jeonghan had come over, informing them that he’d ordered up some drinks and cakes, but wanted to explore the port in the meantime. Naturally, Seungcheol was going with him, unwilling to let Jeonghan out of his sight lest he get into trouble (though Jihyun had her doubts as to the truthfulness of that statement), and of course the loyal Seokmin was following him. Jihyun was sure Seokmin would follow Jeonghan to hell when the time came, but she was also pretty sure the devil would be eager to send his precious angelic soul to heaven instead, where he belonged. 

Seungkwan and Soonyoung were talking to Juyeon at the counter as the younger man busied himself with preparing the drinks Jeonghan had ordered, and Jisoo and Hansol were already sitting at the table a few seats away from her, chattering away in rapid-fire English, both greatly relieved to finally be able to converse in the language that was as familiar to them as Korean was. Even though Jihyun was fairly fluent in the language, having picked it up from her years with Dr. Han and Jisoo, she still preferred to fall back on Korean, whereas Jisoo’s default language had always been English, his American accent ever present despite having never visited Dr. Han’s hometown.

When she first arrived at the Hong household, Jisoo had tried to talk to her in English, before realising her lack of prowess in that area and switching to Korean instead. She had been determined to learn the language, not only because she could see Jisoo’s love for it, but also because she wanted to make sure that she would be leaving the Hong household a better person than when she arrived. 

She supposed she’d achieved that goal.

Jihoon had settled into the seat beside hers, but unlike her, his eyes were glued to his phone, flickering subtly as he read whatever agreement was open on the screen. She didn’t bother reminding the stubborn man that they were on holiday; it wasn’t as though he would listen. Besides, if she actually took away his phone, he’d be sulking up a storm that she would rather not have to handle while she was being a reasonable person and enjoying her vacation. So, she asked, “How’s everything?”

“Seems to be going smoothly,” Jihoon replied, more to himself than to her. “Everything’s on time, despite the absence of my fearful presence to scare everyone into following every single deadline.”

Jihyun hummed low in her throat. “Sounds like the office can function quite well without you, Ji. Does this mean we can leave you here on Jeju Island forever?”

Unimpressed, Jihoon snorted and continued scrolling on his phone. “We both know Cheol will be begging for me to return within a week.”

“Clingy, isn’t he?”

Jihoon looked up from his phone to send her a withering look. “Considering the fact that he’s now cavorting around Jeonghan somewhere along the port, you would think that it was obvious enough already.”

Well used to Jihoon’s prickly thorns that made their appearances once in a while, Jihyun said, unfazed, “But I thought Cheol didn’t like Jeonghan that way.”

“Their relationship is something I would rather not prod at.”

“Scared of awaking the sleeping beast, Ji?”

“Hyun.” Jihoon hadn’t arose to the challenge. Her name had been said in a patient tone, but also a tone of finality. “Leave it be. They’re adults.”

Even though she complied, falling back into silence, recalling Jeonghan’s broken smile in her eyes as he heard Jihoon’s words on Seungcheol’s sexuality, she found that she couldn’t leave it be. 

The part of her that loved Jeonghan dearly hurt whenever she saw the way Jeonghan looked at Seungcheol, like he was his entire world. It hurt whenever she heard Jeonghan laugh at something Seungcheol said or did, because that laughter was so, so different from his usual laughter. It was richer, brighter, like a balloon floating in the air, filled with Jeonghan’s love all throughout the years. It hurt whenever she saw the spark in Jeonghan’s eyes when Seungcheol called him Hannie, when Seungcheol grabbed his arm, when Seungcheol hugged him, when Seungcheol absently ran his fingers through Jeonghan’s long blond hair. 

How cruel was it, she wondered, for Seungcheol to shower Jeonghan with affection Jeonghan would never refuse, even though it would always be a reminder of what he could have had, if Seungcheol loved him romantically. How Jeonghan would have to tell himself that every touch, every smile, as lover-like as it was, would never carry the love he truly wanted. 

And when the two men returned to the table, Jeonghan leaning against Seungcheol’s shoulder, Seungcheol’s arm lazily resting around Jeonghan’s shoulders, both of them watching the sky be painted a glorious shade of bronze and orange, she wondered if the glimmer of tears in Jeonghan’s eyes were because of the view, or because he was thinking what she was thinking. 

*****

“I think I’ve come to terms with it,” Jeonghan told her quietly, strawberry milk in hand. The both of them had slipped out to the private beach after dinner, and were now sitting side by side on the sand, listening to the waves beat their gentle rhythm against the shore. 

Jihyun didn’t say anything, only stared ahead, knowing no response was needed. 

“Sometimes I look back and get surprised at how long it’s been,” Jeonghan continued. “At the number of years my life has revolved around one man who will never know how I feel. But at times, I realise the number isn’t as great as I first thought, because in comparison to the number of years ahead, they’re mere grains of rice in the bowl of bibimbap.” He let out a short, humourless laugh. 

Jihyun remained silent. It would be unnecessary to ask Jeonghan whether he would even consider the possibility of moving on one day, of finding a semblance of happiness that would at least attempt to overshadow the pain in his heart from his love for Seungcheol. Because true love only came around once in a lifetime, and even though it was tearing Jeonghan apart, she knew that there would never be anyone else for him. 

“When he marries the love of his life, I’ll be by his side as his best man,” Jeonghan murmured. “I’ll be looking at him, dressed in a handsome suit, as he watches the woman of his dreams walk down the aisle towards him, as he declares his love for her in front of everyone he loves, as he kisses her, as they start their life together. And I’ll be happy for him, Hyun. I’ll still be by his side, and I’ll be happy for him. But I don’t think I would ever be able to find it in myself to be happy for them, as spiteful as that sounds.”

“I think that’s fair.” Jihyun said, her voice hoarse as she fought to swallow the lump in her throat. 

“But you don’t feel the same way.” Jeonghan said enquiringly. “You’ve moved on. You’ve accepted the fact that the man you once loved, now loves someone else. And you’re fine with it.”

She turned to look at him, her eyes bleak, yet her tone calm. “Isn’t it obvious that it’s because Chan wasn’t my true love?”

*****

When goosebumps started to form on her arms due to the night breeze, Jihyun gently but firmly ushered a silent Jeonghan back to the house. Fortunately, none of them encountered any of their other housemates on the way back to Jeonghan’s room; it seemed that everyone was occupied in their own rooms. After carefully running a brush through Jeonghan’s wind-tangled locks, she tucked him into bed and whispered goodnight before leaving, only to knock on Jisoo’s door instead of going into her own room.

One look from Jisoo and she knew that he already understood. “I’ll stay with him” was all Jisoo said before he quietly let himself into Jeonghan’s room. 

She didn’t know what to do with the turmoil of emotions in her; they were clawing at the walls of her heart, needing an exit, and she didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to get rid of the unsettling feeling in her heart. Frustrated, she banged her head against her pillow, once, twice, and was heading towards the third time before a voice stopped her mid-motion. 

“That’s quite an interesting sight.”

Slowly, she looked up and her eyes met a familiar pair with their defining slant at the ends. He was casually leaning against her door, but even from her bed, she could sense the concern radiating from him.

Go, her mind begged. Take the shoulder you know he’ll let you lean on, cry into his shirt, sink into the hug you know you want.

Instead, she took a deep breath and straightened. “Was practicing some stretches before bed, that’s all.”

Soonyoung caught on quickly; she didn’t want to talk about it. So he didn’t push, though the concerned frown on his face was still there. “Right. Well, Seokmin and Seungkwan want to go out for some supper, and Hansol and I were thinking of tagging along. Do you want to go?”

She shook her head. “It’s fine, I’m not hungry. You guys go ahead.”

“You didn’t eat much during dinner,” Soonyoung pointed out. “How about we bring you something back?”

Part of her exhausted mind was surprised at how he’d noticed her food intake, but she was too tired to dwell on it. “I don’t eat much,” she admitted. “Not everyone has the appetite to eat triple servings, you know,” she teased, trying to wipe away the concern still shining in Soonyoung’s eyes. 

It worked; Soonyoung grinned bashfully. “At least I didn’t ask for rice with the last serving. I’m still shocked at how much rice Jihoon eats.”

“‘Devour’ would be more appropriate.” Jihyun had always said that apart from work, Jihoon’s next true love was rice. He would eat anything, so long as there was rice to go with it. Plus, with his high metabolism rate and his regular gym sessions with Seungcheol, all the servings of rice that went into his body never ended up as unwanted fat. “Have fun.”

“Will do. Goodnight, Jihyun.”

“Goodnight, Soonyoung.”

The door closed behind him, leaving her alone once again. But she no longer felt like she was going to break apart from the inside out, the tears that had threatened to fall earlier long lost, and she could take deep breaths that actually felt like her body was getting the oxygen it needed. The quick conversation with Soonyoung had grounded her and taken her mind off the earlier discussion with Jeonghan, which had been saturated with unhappiness to the extent where it had been a merciless wave, pulling her under and drowning her. 

There was a knock on her door, and she called out, “Come in!”

Her surprise visitor was Jihoon, who demanded “what’s wrong with you?” the moment he stepped inside, leaving her speechless and confused as she stared at him. 

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Why do I have Soonyoung banging on my door and telling me that I’d better get my ass up here to check on you, because, quote unquote, ‘she doesn’t look well’?” Jihoon was glaring at her, but she knew his piercing gaze was also scanning her face for any sign of abnormalities. “Did you fall down the damn stairs or something? Are you sick?” 

“I’m fine,” Jihyun huffed, stopping him before he could ask whether she was on her deathbed. “It’s just... I talked to Jeonghan earlier.”

Jihoon had sat down on the edge of her bed, and his eyes were somber, waiting for her to continue.

“It hurt to listen to him, that’s all.” Tiredly, she scrubbed her face with her palms. “And I realised that no matter how much I loved Chan, it never came up to how much Jeonghan loves Seungcheol. And Jeonghan’s love is one-sided, which means that I really wasn’t doing much in my relationship, that I probably wasn’t even trying. So Chan was right, ultimately.”

“Does it justify Chan cheating or you? Or Hyeri cheating on me?”

Shocked, she turned around to look at Jihoon. “No! Ji, no, I didn’t mean that.”

“You better not have, because you have brains and know far better than that.” Leaning forward, Jihoon asked, “You loved Chan, didn’t you? No buts,” he said, anticipating her reply, “Just answer the question.”

“Yes.”

“And I loved Hyeri. Just because our relationships weren’t as tragic as Jeonghan’s-“

“That is debatable,” Jihyun muttered darkly.

“It doesn’t mean we didn’t love our respective partners, Hyun ah. Our relationships didn’t end because we didn’t love them enough; they ended because our partners decided to cheat on us with each other. Any excuses they gave to attempt to justify their cheating asses are just that - excuses. If they really thought that we weren’t doing enough, they should’ve told us and worked it out. But they didn’t. So if you,” he prodded a finger into her arm, “think that you weren’t good enough for my cheating cousin, think again. I know for sure that I was way too good for my cheating ex.”

“I’m not too bad, I guess,” Jihyun sighed grudgingly. 

“Right. Also, I’m sorry for Jeonghan, I truly am. But we can’t be forcing Cheol’s feelings, and neither would Jeonghan want that. Who knows, maybe I was wrong and Cheol’s bi. To be fair, I’ve never asked Cheol outright about his sexuality; there is always a possibility that I was wrong. But no matter what happens, we’ll be there for Jeonghan. Alright? If he’s sad, we’ll bring him out for drinks, and we’ll make sure that he gets home safe and that he doesn’t wake up with a hangover. Because that’s what friends do.”

Jihyun nodded. “Alright. Do you think...” she hesitated, but Jihoon’s steady gaze encouraged her to ask. “Do you think that Cheol would fall for Han if Cheol were, you know, into guys?”

Jihoon let out a loud snort. “Hyun, you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy who wouldn’t be into Yoon Jeonghan. That man’s a package, inside out, and he knows it. If Cheol doesn’t, he’s an idiot that doesn’t deserve Jeonghan.”

*****

Soonyoung’s eyes were stinging from the amount of tears he’d cried in the past two hours, his stomach hurt, and his cheeks were sore from overuse.

When was the last time he’d genuinely laughed for two hours straight?

Seungkwan had always been sassy and funny in the way that he could make even a normal sentence sound like the most hilarious joke of the year, but Soonyoung hadn’t known that the normally serious Seokmin had a sense of humour that nearly rivalled Seungkwan’s. With the two of them telling jokes and funny anecdotes one after the other, seamlessly as though it was a well-rehearsed play, Soonyoung had given into the full-bellied laughter that had been itching to come out, cracking up at every single sentence that came out of the duo’s mouths. Even Hansol had joined in the fray, and it had been a merry night out, despite the number of dirty looks the other customers had been shooting in their direction. The jjampong was every bit as amazing as Seungkwan had claimed it would be, but Soonyoung found the company much more memorable than the food. 

All the years away from home, he’d isolated himself in his own little bubble, Hansol and Minghao the only people he kept close to his heart. Partly because he couldn’t bear to lose anyone again, and mainly because he truly had no time to foster new friendships. Managing Yoon Corporation was a full-time commitment that he would never shirk, and if friendships were what he had to forego, so be it. 

But as he walked into the house, he found himself wondering if the people he’d met for the past two days were people that wouldn’t mind if he missed one too many gatherings, people that wanted to be friends with Kwon Soonyoung and not the CEO of Yoon Corporation, people that would support him at his lows and cheer for him at his highs.

He had a feeling they were.

A figure rose from the couch in the living room to greet them, and he saw that it was Jihoon. Before Seungkwan could launch into a PowerPoint presentation of their excursion, he looked at Soonyoung. “Soonyoung, can I talk to you?”

“Me?” Baffled, Soonyoung looked at Seokmin who was beside him, but as the man looked as surprised as he felt. “Er, sure.”

Jihoon jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen, signalling that they should talk there, but before he left, he pointed a warning finger at the other three. “No eavesdropping. I’ll know if you do, and I assure you, you’ll deeply regret it.”

Soonyoung wouldn’t put it past Seungkwan and Seokmin to go ahead and try and eavesdrop on the conversation, but judging from their terrified gulps, Jihoon must be scarier than he let on. He followed the shorter man into the kitchen, and looked at Jihoon warily once they were alone. “So...”

“Why were you in Jihyun’s room earlier?”

Soonyoung blinked once, twice, thrice. “Ah-what?”

“The only way you could’ve known she wasn’t feeling well would be if you were in her room,” Jihoon said coldly. “So tell me, why were you in her room?”

Lifting an eyebrow, Soonyoung asked, “First of all, why should I tell you the reason I was in her room?”

Jihoon said sweetly, “Because I need to know whether I need to give you the ‘don’t touch her or you’ll find yourself buried in an unmarked grave in pieces’ talk.”

Soonyoung stared at him. “She’s her own person. Even if I have any designs on her, that’s between me and her. What, are you jealous?”

Jihoon’s face morphed into disgust. “If no one else in the house has told you, she’s like my sister, so no, I am decidedly not jealous. However, I would want to spare her any chance of getting hurt so soon after the brea-“ Jihoon paused as he saw the flicker in Soonyoung’s eyes. “She didn’t tell you.”

Damn it, he thought he’d kept his poker face well in place. “No, she didn’t. She just went through a breakup?”

“A whole disaster, and not my story to tell.” Jihoon dismissed the topic with a wave of his hand. “Look, I don’t know you. I don’t know what happened between you and Seungcheol and Jeonghan, and I figure it’s not my place to ask unless you take the initiative and tell me about it. My only concern is whether you’re interested in her only to leave her high and dry after the rush wears off, so if you are, don’t even think about it.”

“Whoa.” Holding up his hands as a gesture of peace, Soonyoung cleared his throat. “I just went to ask her whether she wanted to join us for supper, and saw that she wasn’t feeling well. Seokmin said that she was closest to you or Jisoo, so I knocked on Jisoo’s door first, but he wasn’t in his room, which was why I came down to you. That’s all. The protective brother talk was a good one, but I’m not into her that way. We’re just friends.”

Jihoon narrowed his eyes for a moment before relaxing them. “Right. Just so you know, if you ever make her unhappy, I might be the first to beat you up, but definitely not the last. I know for a fact Jisoo and Jeonghan will be fighting for the second spot, and Jeonghan won’t hold back on his punches.”

“Is this some sort of cult?” Soonyoung demanded exasperatedly.

Snorting, Jihoon shook his head. “No, it’s a family.”


	30. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This monstrosity will be full of angst, angst, and more angst. Tread at your own peril.

“This is a bad idea.” Shaking her head as she got off the van, Jihyun glared at Jeonghan, who was smiling beatifically at her. “I swear, it’s going to end with half of us going to jail.”

“It’s a noraebang, Hyun.” Jeonghan said, waving at the bright neon sign above the door to the building. “What could possibly go wrong?”

An hour later, the server had already carted in their second round of beers for the night, while Seungcheol and Jisoo sang their hearts out to My Love Beside Me, with Seungkwan and Seokmin harmonising at the end of every line. Soonyoung and Hansol had their hands in the air, waving from side to side, and Jeonghan was nibbling happily on a piece of fried chicken that they’d ordered earlier. Beside her, Jihoon sipped calmly on his banana milk that he’d grabbed at the convenience store a few doors down, showing no intention of joining the fray but enjoying it from the sidelines nonetheless.

The song ended, and chaos ensued as everyone lifted their beer bottles - or in hers and Jihoon’s case, milk cartons - and cheered. That became the routine of the night, and another hour later, the table was littered with empty beer bottles which were the result of five rounds of beers, while all of them whooped and chorused along to Soonyoung, Seungkwan and Seokmin’s rendition of You Are Far Away.

Seungkwan, voice slightly hoarse from all the singing he’d done throughout the night, rasped, “Second round!”

“Where to?” Jeonghan giggled drowsily from his seat, empty beer bottle in hand, leaning into Seungcheol as the man wrapped a hand around an arm around his slender shoulders.

“Sort them out.” Laughing, Jihyun told Jihoon as she stood up and walked out of the room. A quick call had the driver promising to pick them up in fifteen minutes, and she had to hide a wince as she saw the humongous bill they’d managed to rack up in a matter of hours.

“Are you paying?”

Jihyun looked up and saw Soonyoung standing beside her, his face slightly flushed from the alcohol, sweat glimmering on his forehead, eyes still bright from the exhilarating high of singing at the top of his lungs. The denim jacket that he’d pulled over his white tee before they left the house had been shucked off somewhere in between songs, and his hair was mussed up from the dancing he’d been doing. Soonyoung had moves; he’d executed SHINee’s Sherlock flawlessly earlier in the room while singing along with Seungkwan, every move perfectly mirroring those of the idols on the small TV screen, earning him extremely awed and appreciative cheers from the rest of them.

Jihyun pulled out a card from her pocket, which she placed against the reader until there was a soft ping. “Seungcheol’s paying, actually. Were you going to offer?”

“If it’s Cheol, I’m not going to bother.” Soonyoung sounded amused.

Suddenly, Seokmin’s voice echoed along the hallways as he belted out the high notes in Eyes, Nose, Lips effortlessly. Jihyun and Soonyoung shared a wry look between them. “Since I can’t hear anything other than muffled sounds from the other rooms, the only logical conclusion I can come to is that it’s just Seokmin and not the soundproofing.” Soonyoung said, biting his cheek to stop himself from laughing.

Jihyun has no such reservations, and let out a laugh. “Seokmin’s loud. But his voice is amazing, isn’t it? Seungkwan’s, too.”

“Mmm.” Soonyoung leaned against the wall, only to have Jihyun gently pull him away from it. He shot her a confused look, and she gave him a dry smile.

“Trust me, you don’t want to do that. You have no idea what people get up to in places like this, and I doubt they ever clean their walls.”

Soonyoung grimaced, and tried to turn around to see if there were any questionable stains on his shirt. With a sigh, Jihyun pulled him around so that he was facing the wall, and scrutinised the back of his shirt. “Just some dust,” she murmured, carefully brushing them away with her fingers. Soonyoung stood still, cooperating as he felt the slight pressure on his lower back, the strokes light and consistent, drawing line after line on his shirt that he wished were harder so that he could feel them better on his back. Right before his body threatened to shiver from the sensation, the pressure was gone.

“Done.”

“Jihyun ah.”

The both of them turned around simultaneously to see Jeonghan standing at the door to their room, his gaze carefully blank. “Is the driver here? We’re ready to go.”

“He should be; let me go out and check.” Jihyun disappeared around the corner of the hallway, leaving Soonyoung and Jeonghan alone, but Soonyoung thought he’d caught a glimpse of pink riding high on her cheeks. Was she as affected as he had been, then?

Wait, hold up. He didn’t want to be affected.

Jeonghan had walked closer, his eyes cool and detached as he looked at Soonyoung. “What was that?” He asked quietly.

“My shirt got dirty,” Soonyoung said in a matter-of-fact tone, knowing that any incredulous outburst would do him no good.

The blond tilted his head to one side. “You wouldn’t be interested in Jihyun, would you?”

Soonyoung shot him a bitter glare. We both know that I can’t, he wanted to say, but instead said, “She’s not my type, Han. Relax, your precious Jihyun is safe from me.”

Jeonghan kept his gaze for a while more, long enough to make Soonyoung long to fidget in his shoes, but he held back the urge to do so. “At least not until you... not until we sort out everything. Please,” Jeonghan breathed.

“She’s not my type, and I doubt I’d ever develop a taste for someone like her,” Soonyoung said coldly.

“The feeling’s mutual, I assure you.”

He whirled around so fast, he nearly gave himself whiplash. He didn’t know when Jihyun had came back into the building, but there she was, her dark eyes looking past him and staring at Jeonghan. “The van’s here,” she said, with no hint of anger or unhappiness in her voice. “Can you grab the others?”

With one last look that spoke volumes, Jeonghan disappeared through the door.

Soonyoung didn’t know what the feeling that was churning in his heart was; all he knew that it was uncomfortably burning, threatening to leave a searing imprint behind in its wake. “Jihyun-“

“It’s fine, Soonyoung, really.” Jihyun still didn’t look at him, and he had to wrestle and strong-arm his urge to apologise, though for what, he had no idea. “You don’t need to apologise for your personal preferences.”

It was true, but the sentence did nothing to diminish the guilt tugging at his heartstrings.

*****

Seungkwan had given the driver instructions to drive them to one of the clubs a short distance away, and with it being a Saturday night, there was a fairly long queue outside the entrance, with a big burly bouncer at the door. However, with Soonyoung and Seungcheol each sliding the bouncer a wad of money that made Jihyun wince, the bouncer unclasped the red velvet rope and waved them through.

“You would’ve thought this was Seoul, from how they’re restricting the people going in,” Hansol muttered, and Jihyun smiled at him.

“Business will be business regardless of the location.”

The bouncer must’ve recognised either Seungcheol or Soonyoung, because a woman in a smart crisp suit approached them, and after a murmured conversation with Seungcheol, led them to an empty table to the left of the club, which was close enough to the dance floor for them to enjoy the vibe, but placed in a such a manner that they wouldn’t be directly in the line of sight of the partygoers gyrating on the dance floor. Being famous had its perks, Jihyun supposed, as the woman was joined by a young man who bowed and introduced himself as their personal server of the night. Translation: no need to squeeze through the thick crowd of people at the bar and try and get the bartender’s attention.

Without hesitation, Seungcheol had ordered a round of shots for all of them at the table, and neither Jihyun nor Jihoon bothered refusing it. They hadn’t drank at the noraebang earlier, and they could handle one shot of tequila, or a couple more, if necessary.

Seungkwan and Seokmin needed no prompting, the two of them tugging those closest to them onto the dance floor, where they disappeared almost instantly into the crowd of bodies.

“Hyun, you coming?” Jisoo asked, a hand outstretched.

She opened her mouth ready to refuse, to stay behind and watch over the drinks, but hesitated at the very last second. She wasn’t much of a party person - always being the only one sober tended to take away most of the fun - and she wasn’t much of a dancer either.

But something nagged at her in the back of her mind. Something that she’d tried to let slip, but somehow couldn’t, her dratted mind clinging onto it like it was the most important words she’d ever heard in her life.

_“She’s not my type, and I doubt I’d ever develop a taste for someone like her.”_

She reached out, and let Jisoo pull her onto the dance floor, where their friends were already going all out with their flamboyant dance moves, earning glances from the other partygoers around them that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else but interest.

The dance floor was crowded with people, all sweaty and on their way to being fully drunk, the ever-shifting lights and booming music serving to excite them even more. Jeonghan was shimmying his hips against Soonyoung, who laughed and grabbed his hips to pull him closer, while Seungkwan and Hansol had their arms on each other’s shoulders and were going to kiss if they didn’t pull back anytime soon. Jisoo had his back up against Jisoo’s chest, the both of them swinging in time to the rhythm. No one was turned off by the group of men dancing with each other; if anything, it was a bigger turn-on for the onlookers, both men and women, who were revving up to dance with any of the handsome men the moment they got a chance.

Jihoon was dancing with Seungcheol, until a woman in a slinky black dress that showed her extremely perfect figure off came over and pulled Jihoon into a dance, to the whoops of his friends and hers. Jihyun grinned at the smirk on Jihoon’s face, and was going to ask Seungcheol if he wanted to dance, but she needn’t have worried about him; Seungcheol already had his arms around a long-legged woman dressed in a siren red number, smugness and confidence radiating from him as he murmured something in her ear, ignoring the envious looks several men around them were shooting him.

Jihyun was about to turn around to head over to their table, when someone stepped in front of her. Swallowing a sigh, she looked up - why was she always shorter than everyone around her? - to meet an inviting glance that was coming from an extremely attractive man, whose lips were curved up in a smile. “Dance?” He asked, his deep voice promising and tantalising.

But she shook her head, smile in place. “I’m sorry, I’m not a very good dancer. If you’ll excuse-“

“I’m not, either.” He didn’t move away, but he wasn’t crowding her either. “Come on, just one dance. I promise I won’t step on your toes.”

That made her laugh, and with a grin on her face, she gave in and joined him as the next song started playing.

“You’re a pretty good dancer,” she called out a little loudly to be heard over the din. It wasn’t meant to be comforting; the man did have moves, and to her pleasant surprise, had been pretty respectful as well. There had been no untoward leering, no overly familiar groping, and she was thankful for that. It had been an enjoyable dance, and she found herself laughing along with him by the end of the song.

The man smiled at her. “I might have lied when I said I wasn’t a good dancer.”

“Couldn’t tell,” she said teasingly. Chuckling, he pulled her into yet another dance, this time a fast paced song that left her breathless and in need of water.

Also, she’d lost sight of her friends, which was a feat in itself, considering the fact that they’d been the centre of attention on the dance floor only a while ago. A quick glance at their table showed that neither of them had went back, but she shrugged off the nagging feeling in her chest. They were grown men who didn’t need her constant fussing and coddling, and -

“Do you want to go somewhere quieter?” Somewhere between her thoughts of wanting a drink and wanting to check on her friends, her partner had sidled closer without her noticing and was leaning down to whisper in her ear.

She fought a shiver that threatened to materialise from the hot air stimulating her sensitive ears, and tilted her head to the side, so that she was looking into his glimmering eyes. “Lead the way.”

It was so out of character for her, and went against every single strand of rationality in her bones. But, as she followed his steady footsteps towards the back of the club, she recalled the fact that she was very much single, and very much free to mingle.

And if she were going to mingle with someone who looked like he’d just stepped out of a webtoon, who was giving her a smile too bright for the deserted and dimly lit back alley they’d ended up in, even better.

“I would have thought that I deserved the club’s bathroom, at least,” she murmured as she put her arms around his slender waist.

Chuckling, he leant down. “Trust me,” he whispered against her cheek, “I’ve been in the bathrooms here, and you do not want to be anywhere near those walls.”

“Fair enough.”

Naturally, a man as good-looking as him kissed just as well. When they broke apart for an instant to catch their breaths, he whispered, “What’s your name?”

Being so much shorter had its perks; she teased light feathery kisses along his jawline, and was immensely satisfied as she felt his entire frame shudder. “Interesting question. You go first.”

“Dongmin.”

“Well, Dongmin-ssi, it’s nice to meet-“ she nipped at his earlobe, “you. Shall we continue?”

He chuckled. “I see that I’m going to have to work for your name, huh?”

“It really depends.” In retaliation, he’d started tracing small circles on the nape of her neck, and she merely responded by switching to nibble on his exposed collarbone.

“On?”

“Whether we’re going to say goodbye in a while, or whether you’re going to ask me ‘your place or mine’.”

Interestedly, he pulled back a little to look at her. “Which option will give me your name?”

“Guess,” she informed him, and with a simple tug, pulled his lips back on hers.

Very much preoccupied with the tantalising warmth on her lips that shifted every few seconds to bring a whole new sensation, Jihyun didn’t realise that the door they’d exited from earlier had been pushed open until she heard a curse, followed by another, and another.

Grudgingly, she opened her eyes and looked to her left, only to blink a few times at the newcomer. Soonyoung was standing by the door, his eyes furious as he glared at the both of them. No, at her. “What is this?” He demanded. “Jihyun, we’ve been looking for you all around the place, and you’re here canoodling with this-this-“

“Canoodling?”

“This what?”

Jihyun and Dongmin echoed at the same time, though her tone was more incredulous and his more amused.

Soonyoung’s lips thinned, but he still asked stiffly, “Are you coming or not?”

“Are you her boyfriend, by any chance?” Dongmin suddenly asked, his tone casual but his gaze sharp.

Jihyun felt as though she’d been drenched in a bucket of ice cold water as she saw Soonyoung’s eyes darken. Before Soonyoung could say anything else to hurt her pride even more for the night, she gently pulled away from Dongmin. “I most definitely would not have been out here kissing random guys if I had a boyfriend,” she informed Dongmin, her voice soft but firm.

He seemed to have realised his mistake, and quickly interjected, “I didn’t mean-“

“It’s fine.” And she wondered why, for the second time in the same night, she was saying that even though she wasn’t fine, not really. “But I do have to go.”

“Can I get your number, at least?” He reached out and gripped her arm as she brushed past him to walk towards the door. But before she could respond, Soonyoung was there, disentangling her arm from Dongmin’s grip.

“No,” Soonyoung said icily, “you can’t. So hold on to the memory of kissing her in a dirty, dark alleyway, because that’s all you’re going to get from her. Classy move, by the way.”

Stunned at the outburst, Jihyun didn’t realise that Soonyoung had already pulled her back into the club until the thumping music floated back into her ears. They were in the dingy hallway between the main area and the back, and she wrenched her hand out from Soonyoung’s, forcing the man to stop in his footsteps and turn around to look at her. “What,” she asked, gritting her teeth, “was that?”

“You mean me trying to protect you from random guys who just want one thing and one thing only?” Soonyoung said, sounding as though he was telling a child off, and that was what set her off.

“I didn’t need your protection! Bold of you to even assume that I was going to sleep with him, even if he offered!”

“Really? Because from what I was seeing, you were damn well ready to get it on with him right there and then!”

The words hit her like another slap in the face, and she wondered tiredly how many hits she really deserved from a man she’d only met a few days ago in the span of a few hours. “You know what, Soonyoung?” She took a step closer, and looked up at him. “You don’t know me, and I mean it literally. You can say that I’m not your type, and I’m fine with that, because it’s something subjective and personal. But to assume that I sleep around with any Tom, Dick or Harry is way below the bell,” she hissed. “And so what if I want to? It’s my choice. Seungcheol or Jihoon will probably be bringing someone back later, and I don’t think you’d be judging them as harshly as you’re judging me. It’s the freaking 21st century; stop being a sexist prick.”

“I am not being a sexist prick,” Soonyoung growled. “You can sleep around with as many people as you want, see if I care. However, I would rather you have some standards, at least, instead of picking up horny strays from clubs looking to get it on and leave the next morning.”

Frustrated, Jihyun poked a finger into his chest. “That’s the thing. Maybe I want someone like that, maybe I don’t mind one night stands. You don’t get to assume, Soonyoung.”

“You think Jisoo or Jihoon would be happy if you brought someone home later?”

“Do I look like I give a shit about whether my friends are okay with me sleeping with someone?”

Soonyoung shoved her finger away. “I came out to check on you,” he said slowly, enunciating each word, “because I heard his group of friends talking about how they’d dared him to pick you up. And I was worried.” And as she stilled, her anger suddenly gone, he continued. “But I don’t even know why I bothered, since you sounded so eager to jump him anyway. So go ahead, Jihyun. Help him win the dare his immature friends gave him, mark another notch on your bedpost, see if I care.”

She was exhausted. So exhausted. She took a step back, and then another. “Why do you even care, Soonyoung?” She asked softly. “Do you always care so much for someone you just met a few days ago, who isn’t even your type?”

A hand was suddenly on her chin, gently tilting her head upwards. She looked into Soonyoung’s eyes, and found that the fire burning in his eyes earlier had been extinguished, replaced by a quiet calm. “The words hurt you,” he said, the sentence a question, his gaze probing hers for any expression.

“Soonyoung ah.” She sighed, but at the words or the gesture, she didn’t know. “I’m human, with feelings. I may not be interested in you that way,” and she had to clear her throat before she could continue, “but...it doesn’t feel good to hear someone say that they’d never develop a taste for me. It makes me wonder whether I’m so repulsive or unlovable.”

He dropped his head, so that their foreheads were touching. She stood still, and for some reason she couldn’t identify, didn’t push him away. The music was still booming down the dark deserted hallway, but the both of them were silent, eyes still on each other’s, locked in that position.

“I’m sorry.” Soonyoung finally said, the apology a soft murmur, his warm breath fanning over her lips. Oddly enough, it felt even more intimate than the make-out session she’d been in only a while ago.

“Don’t be. Like I said, no one should need to apologise for their personal preferences.”

He let out a sound that sounded like a choked laugh, the sound tortured and cruel. “You are too close to my type for comfort, Jihyun ah. And that’s the damning part.”

Her hand crept up to cradle his cheek, and she asked, “Why?”

“Because I can’t be with anyone else, Jihyun. I can’t.”

She didn’t ask; she knew it wasn’t the time nor the place for answers. So she merely stayed where she was, forehead to forehead, one palm against his cheek, and gave him the quiet comfort he seemed to desperately need.

*****

Jihoon was still very much sober, and with one hand wrapped tightly around his sexy as hell dance partner, he grabbed a shot off their table, deciding that he needed to rectify that immediately, alcohol intolerance be damned.

The woman - Yeonha, he recalled - was smirking at him from her seat. “Shall we order more?” She asked, her voice a sultry purr.

He chuckled humourlessly. “I’m no fun when I’m drunk, Yeonha-ssi.”

With a swift move, she was straddling him, her black dress riding high on those insanely long legs, her face against his. “Let’s try that theory out, Jihoon-ssi.”

Kissing Yeonha was...refreshing. He was aware of every single shift of her lithe body on his thighs, of how she purred into his mouth when he drew lazy circles along her exposed skin. Most of all, he was painfully aware of how he had no qualms about bringing the woman home and into his bed for the night.

He supposed he had Seungkwan to thank for the sudden realisation that he was more than ready to move on from his broken relationship, and he was thankful to whichever merciful god had been looking over him for sending this extremely willing and eager woman his way. So he asked, “Your place or mine?”

“I share an apartment with my friends,” Yeonha said, giving him a meaningful look.

The answer was obvious. “Go grab us a cab, will you?” He asked, though his hands were still wandering along the piece of exposed skin between the straps of the dress on her back. “I’ll go tell my friends.”

With a quick kiss, Yeonha slid off his thighs and promised to meet him up front. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or maybe it was the promise of what seemed to be a wonderful sleepless night, but Jihoon was in a good mood as he went back onto the dance floor in search of his group of friends, who were probably already drunk and out of their minds. He felt slightly guilty that he would be leaving Jihyun alone to round them all up, but he assured himself that she would understand.

Probably.

Speaking of which... Jihoon narrowed his eyes. Where was Jihyun?

Jihoon finally saw his friends dancing in the middle of the dance floor, still surrounded by people who were admiring the sensual dancing going on between the men. With a huff, Jihoon slid through the crowd and got to Hansol, who was just swaying from side to side by the sidelines, looking thoughtfully at Seungkwan and Seokmin shaking their hips. Perhaps ‘thoughtfully’ was too kind a word, Jihoon thought dryly, because the man was clearly drunk and on his way to being completely wasted.

“Hansol, I’m heading back to the house first,” Jihoon yelled in Hansol’s ear, earning him a nod. “Also, no one disturbs me tonight, or I’m murdering the lot of you.”

A bemused grin crept onto Hansol’s handsome face. “Good luck, hyung.”

“Also, has anyone seen-“ Hansol’s eyes suddenly widened, and Jihoon turned to look in Hansol’s direction, only for his jaw to drop.

Seungcheol had ditched the woman in the red dress and was dancing with - he couldn’t believe his eyes - a man? Not only were they dancing, was - was Seungcheol grinding his ass against the man’s crotch? Jihoon blinked once, twice, but his eyes weren’t deceiving him.

Jihoon may have been slightly buzzed from the few shots he’d downed, but his mind was still sharp. His eyes scanned the crowd and fell on Jeonghan, who had been dancing with Jisoo earlier, but he’d stopped and was now staring at Seungcheol with an unreadable look in his eyes.

This was a mess, Jihoon decided. But damn it, he couldn’t approach Jeonghan; the man had no idea that Jihoon knew about his feelings towards Seungcheol. But as he saw Jisoo put an arm around Jeonghan, relief flooded through him, knowing that Jeonghan would have someone he could trust to get him through whatever rollercoaster his mind must be going through.

But right now, he had a woman to get to. So with a quick pat on Hansol’s shoulder, he said his goodbyes and left the club, Jihyun long-forgotten.

*****

Jeonghan wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or cheer.

Seeing Seungcheol dance with a man in such a manner that they could’ve been doing it right there in the middle of the dance floor meant that Seungcheol, the unfortunately single-sided love of his life, was interested in men. Which meant that his previous hopes that had been crushed to zero had been restored to a minimal fifty percent.

However, it wasn’t Jeonghan Seungcheol was dancing with.

“Hannie.” Jisoo was calling him, and Jeonghan could hear the anxiety in his tone, but didn’t deign to reply, eyes still on the two men dancing to the music.

“I have a chance, Shua ya,” Jeonghan murmured into his best friend’s ear. “But what do I do?”

Jisoo looked at him, and whatever he saw in Jeonghan’s eyes scared him.

Was he happy for Jeonghan? Yes.

Was he worried for Jeonghan? Definitely.

Seungcheol being interested in men could end in two ways: either he could fall in love with the amazing human being that was Yoon Jeonghan, or he could decide to fall for another man entirely.

Jisoo wanted to wrap his friend up in bubble wrap, put him in a bulletproof case and stand guard over him 24/7. But he knew, perhaps better than anyone, that Jeonghan’s fragile and soft looks were a direct contradiction to his personality. Jeonghan didn’t need any overbearing protectiveness in his life, only someone to catch him if ever he fell.

So Jisoo leaned forward, and whispered, “Go dance with him.”

*****

Jihyun and Soonyoung had returned to the main area of the club, a small distance between them that was far too much for Jihyun, but she kept her hands to herself. Seeing Hansol sitting alone at their table, she went over and gently pried the shot glass out of his hands. “No more,” she scolded. She looked around the dance floor, but the crowd had gotten bigger than when she’d first left; it would be impossible for her to find the rest of her friends without wandering into the sea of people.

“I’ll go find them,” Soonyoung whispered in her ear, his voice a soft caress before he pulled away and disappeared. Swallowing a sigh, Jihyun turned around, only to see the man frowning at her.

“Why are you frowning?”

“Soonyoung hyung seems different,” Hansol said, his voice slurred. “But...can’t place it.”

After gesturing to their personal server, who, to her relief, was still at his post, she turned back to Hansol. “He’s fine, Hansol, don’t worry.”

“He always says he is.” With a sigh, Hansol leaned his head against the table. “But is he?”

The server returned with a bottle of water, which Jihyun accepted with a quick nod of thanks. Gently but firmly, she coaxed Hansol into downing half of the bottle before she was satisfied and let him lean on the table again.

Soonyoung returned with Jisoo, Seokmin and Seungkwan, but the other three were nowhere to be seen. “Jisoo says Jihoon, Jeonghan and Seungcheol already left earlier,” Soonyoung informed her, already reaching past her to hoist Hansol up. “Come on.”

The bill had been settled, and the driver already waiting for them outside, waving her repeated apologies away casually. “I’ve picked up people much later, don’t worry,” he told her cheerfully despite the late hour. “Come, let’s get you home.”

It took a whole hour for Soonyoung and Jihyun to settle their friends in their rooms, wipe their bodies as best as they could to make sure they wouldn’t be too uncomfortable, and stuff them into clean shirts after pulling their jeans and pants off, leaving them in their boxers. Jihyun didn’t even blink an eye when she saw Seokmin’s bright blue Superman boxers; frankly, she was too tired to laugh.

“We have to be at the airport by noon tomorrow for our flight back,” Jihyun said as she leaned against her doorframe, with Soonyoung doing the same with his door. “I’ll wake them all up by 9, latest.”

“I’ll set my alarm for 8, but wake me up if I’m not up by then.”

Jihyun nodded, and rubbed her hand against her face. “Right. Goodnight, Soonyoung.”

Before she could close her door, she felt Soonyoung’s slender fingers close over her wrist. “Wait. Can we talk?”

Jihyun was sure that if she closed her eyes, she would fall asleep on her feet right there and then - she was that tired - but she nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, sure. Er, here?”

Soonyoung managed a small laugh. “Shall we talk in your room?”

“Sure.” She headed towards her bed, and without any care to what Soonyoung might think of her, flopped facedown onto the soft, comforting sheets. She didn’t look up when she felt the side of the bed sink down slightly, but had to resist the urge to close her eyes when she felt gentle fingers threading through her hair.

“Soonyoung ah.” She may have been weary, both physically and mentally, but her brain was still able to function, even though it was practically running on fumes. “Please don’t.”

His fingers stilled, but didn’t leave her hair. She gave up and closed her eyes. “I don’t know what to think when you do things like this, things that make me want to fall for you, but tell me you can’t fall for me.”

Soonyoung was quiet for a moment. “I can’t help it,” he murmured, fingers continuing their soft brushing. “It feels like we’re connected by a string, and I’m pulled towards you whenever I see you.”

She gave a muffled hum in response.

“I know it’s unfair for you. As sorry as I might be, I can’t seem to stop myself. But would it make a difference if I swore that I want to, it’s only that I can’t?”

“Will you tell me why, one day?”

His fingers froze for a fraction of a second upon hearing her whispered question before they continued their soothing strokes. “Yes. Not soon, but one day, I swear I will.”

*****

Damn her dratted body clock, Jihyun groaned as she lugged her body towards the shower. It was seven in the morning, a whole hour before her alarm was set to ring, and here she was, very much awake.

Her stuff had already been packed - being efficient had its perks - which meant one less thing to worry about. Freshly dressed in jeans and a shirt, she left her room, intending to start on breakfast preparations before she woke the others up.

Reaching the first floor, she heard a door open and looked towards the bedrooms, the unexpected sight of Jeonghan, blond hair a tousled mane around his face, still in yesterday’s outfit, coming out of Seungcheol’s room a shock to her system. She didn’t know whether she or Jeonghan was more surprised to see the other person, and they stood there for a while, staring at each other.

“Jisoo said both you and Seungcheol brought someone home,” Jihyun said in a casual tone. “He didn’t tell me you brought each other home.”

A weary laugh escaped him. “I suppose we did.”

She would’ve pressed further - what even happened to lead to this twist of events? - but from Jeonghan’s shuttered eyes, it was clear that Jeonghan didn’t want to talk about it. So she said, “I’m going to make breakfast. Come down when you’re ready, alright?”

He nodded, and she gave him a pat on the shoulder for good measure before continuing to make her way downstairs.

With all the ingredients left in the fridge, she decided to make a vat of hangover soup and pajeon, with a side of sunny side ups. Halfway through the second batch of eggs, she heard footsteps sneak down the stairs, and looked up in time to see a long-haired woman slip quietly out of the house through the front door. Jihoon’s companion, then. The sight of the woman reminded her of how the man she met yesterday could’ve been another stranger sneaking out of the house this morning, and the series of events that had led to her not bringing him home for the night.

Right. There was that.

As she transferred the perfectly cooked eggs into a plate, she wondered what was it that she wanted.

Did she want Soonyoung? She couldn’t deny that somewhere between their late night drinking session and their...altercation last night, she could no longer say with confidence that she wasn’t interested in the man. She was interested, she was attracted, and it was tempting to get closer to him to see where it would lead to. But for every ‘I want’, there were at least three ‘I shouldn’t’ thoughts to remind her that it wasn’t a good idea, and she would do well to heed her own warning bells.

Was it because Soonyoung was, to go back to high school terms, out of her league? Doubtful. She’d never subscribed to the stuffy old-fashioned notion that the rich should only marry the rich, which was why she was unhealthily obsessed with the quirky and fresh historical novels penned by Julia Quinn and Lisa Kleypas. Plus, she might not have come from a prestigious family, but she was an independent woman working her way towards the top in one of the most prestigious corporations in the country. Hell if she would doubt whether she was good enough for him.

The root of it all was probably how Soonyoung’s friend circle overlapped with hers. More accurately, their circles had melded into one; Soonyoung and Hansol were her friends as much as the others were. If she were to follow her whims only to have it fall through in the end, the balance in their circle would be severely disrupted, which was something she didn’t think she could afford to be guilty for.

So, no then. But...

You’re not a child, she told herself sternly. You are an adult with admirable discipline and self-control, and you should be acting like one. There are loads of handsome men out there; why are you so hung up over this one?

As Seungkwan and Hansol walked into the kitchen, both looking as though they’d aged twenty years in the span of one night, she waved the thoughts away and started doing what she did best - caring for her friends.

It was half past eight, but Soonyoung had yet to appear in the kitchen, though Jisoo assured her that the man was awake, just packing up in his room. She left a plate of breakfast aside for him, and somehow, while she’d gone around the house to make sure nothing had been missed out, he’d snuck into the kitchen, gobbled up the food, and left, presumably back to his room.

She didn’t see the man until they were boarding the van for the last time, after she’d triple-checked every single switch and lock, and after giving her a small smile, he’d made it a point to board the van first, leaving her partially confused as their friends shuffled past her to get onto the van.

He didn’t even look at her when they got to the airport. Nor when they were on the plane, seated with a sleepy Jihoon between them. Not even when the van dropped her at her new apartment complex, and he joined in the chorus of goodbyes while looking at a spot over her shoulder.

She supposed the message was loud and clear.

*****

After saying goodbye to Jihoon, Seungcheol and Jeonghan were the only ones left in the van. The skies had darkened, and Jeonghan was grateful for the dim lighting as he stared at Seungcheol from the seat beside his, studying the man’s side profile, aided by the occasional flash of streetlamps as they cruised along the road.

“Cheollie?”

The soft endearment had Seungcheol snapping out of his reverie, and he turned around to smile at Jeonghan. “Hmm?”

Jeonghan hesitated, but he’d already told himself it was now or never. “Last night...”

Groaning, Seungcheol leant back against his seat. “Don’t even bring up last night, Hannie. My head still aches, even after the soup we had this morning.”

“You did go pretty hard on the alcohol,” Jeonghan mused, reaching out to put his hand on Seungcheol’s, needing physical contact to calm his quivering heart. “And on the dance floor. I didn’t know you were into guys, Cheollie.”

He felt Seungcheol tense up for a moment, before he seemed to remember that he was talking to someone whom he’d bodily shielded from his father’s fists when his parents had found out that their only son was gay. “Yeah. I’m sorry I never told you.”

Surprised, Jeonghan turned Seungcheol’s hand around so he could link their fingers together. “Cheol. You don’t have to apologise for that. It’s your sexuality, and I’m honoured that you felt comfortable enough to tell me. I’m here for you no matter what,” he said, stressing on the words. “You know that, right?”

Seungcheol murmured his assent. “Do you remember what happened last night?” Jeonghan asked, carefully observing Seungcheol’s face.

“I remember bringing someone home.”

Jeonghan felt as though his heart would burst out of his chest any moment soon. “What else?” He asked, his voice barely a whisper.

“It was probably one of the best nights of my life. He was amazing, Hannie, swear to God. I haven’t slept with a man for years, and he was...” Seungcheol’s voice trailed off as he stared dreamily at nothing in particular, reminiscing the night of pleasure, completely missing out on the flush of red creeping up Jeonghan’s neck and face.

“And I can’t believe I don’t even remember his face.”

Jeonghan froze. Seungcheol continued rambling, “I didn’t even ask for his name. And now I can’t remember how the first man I’ve slept with after so many years looks like. I mean, yeah, he’s a one night stand, but would’ve been nice to be able to put a face to the experience, y’know?”

Torn between breaking out into hysterical laughter and sobbing his heart out, Jeonghan mustered a smile and fought the urge to pull his hand out from Seungcheol’s. “Of course,” he said. And if his voice was hoarser than usual, Seungcheol hadn’t noticed, still occupied with the mystery man in his thoughts, not knowing that he was currently holding the hand of said man.

Getting home was a blur; Jeonghan found himself staring at his empty unit, sparkling clean with the lingering scent of lemon that indicated that his cleaning service had made their weekly visit, not knowing how he got there. He felt numb.

He thought last night had been the turn in the page for him and Seungcheol, that God had finally listened to his quiet and sometimes helpless pleas over the years. What a joke, he thought to himself bitterly.

As much as it hurt, unlike Seungcheol, every detail from last night had been etched in his memory. The way Seungcheol had immediately ditched his partner when he caught Jeonghan’s gaze, the way Seungcheol had nearly drove him mad as he ground their hips together on the dance floor while never tearing his intense gaze away, the way Seungcheol never stopped running his gentle hands through Jeonghan’s hair as he kissed Jeonghan for the very first time, the way Seungcheol hadn’t hesitated when he’d draped an arm around Jeonghan’s waist after thoroughly wrecking him, and had fallen asleep with Jeonghan in his arms. Jeonghan had nearly cried when the first thing he saw this morning when he woke up was something he’d only dared to dream about for the past few years: Seungcheol beside him, arms still wrapped around Jeonghan, those unbelievably long lashes fluttering slightly against his cheeks with every breath.

But Seungcheol didn’t even know that Jeonghan had been his partner for last night.

Jeonghan didn’t think that anyone would blame him if he just gave up, right there and then. He needed a distraction, badly. Fingers trembling, he pulled out his phone and dialled a number that had gotten as familiar as Seungcheol’s or Joshua’s.

“Jeonghan, you’re back? How was-“

“I need you,” he breathed.

The person on the other line was silent for a moment, but he finally gave Jeonghan the answer he was desperate to hear. “I’ll be there in 20.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs are from their Karaoke Escape Room GoSe episode, and the recent TTT episode.
> 
> The angst was painful to write, I assure you.


	31. Chapter Thirty

“Yes. Of course, I understand.” Phone still in hand, Jihyun scribbled some notes down on a bright yellow Post-It. “Yes, we’ll send over the copies by today, don’t worry. I understand; it wasn’t something anyone could have foreseen. You’re most welcome. Have a nice day.”

She put the phone down, and got out of her chair. She was most decidedly understanding about the predicament the subsidiary company had gotten themselves into; one could hardly blame them for a leak in their ceiling causing irreparable damage to that one particular file on the new ventures they would be starting soon. However, as she opened the door with a sign on it that said ‘Files - Ongoing’, she really wished that they’d damaged an older file. 

The room was filled with shelves, which in turn were filled with files of numerous colours and thicknesses. It was a room that functioned as a temporary storage area for the counsels in the Left Wing - the Right Wing had their own room - to place their ongoing files here when their desks ran out of space. Normally, she preferred stashing her files that could no longer find a spot on her desk under it, even if it left her with only a sliver of space to put her legs. Partially because she liked having all her files close to her, but also because she wasn’t sure how secure her files would be in the room, despite the room having CCTV cameras marking every single corner. 

But during her weeklong vacation a couple of months earlier - had it really been that long? - Mingyu, who was a total neat freak, had declared war on her stacks of files decorating her workspace. He’d lugged most of them into the room, placing them on a shelf which was in direct sight of three CCTVs, and had organised her entire workspace into one that Marie Kondo would be proud of, rendering her absolutely speechless when she’d came back to the office. 

“If you dare tell me ‘I know where everything is’, I’m telling Mr. Lee about The Incident,” Mingyu had threatened, a steely glint in his eyes. Unfortunately, that pretty much left her with no choice; The Incident was effective blackmail material, and Mingyu knew it. 

She went over to the shelf that held her files which weren’t on her to-do list of the day, and thumbed through them to search for the particular file. It was in the second stack, and with the practised ease of someone who was used to handling files, she tugged it out from the stack without disturbing the files sandwiching it. Flipping through the files, she couldn’t help letting out a sigh. She had a long, long way to go.

The file was an ongoing file, which meant that she wouldn’t have scanned the more recent documents into the server, which would’ve made life very easy for her when it came to making copies - all it would take was a couple of clicks and the printer would spit out whatever she needed. Instead, now she had to make copies by hand, and to save her any future fuss, scan them into the server as well.

Or perhaps she didn’t have to. She thought about the number of files still waiting for her on her desk, looked at the file in her hand, and sighed again. “Lesser of both evils,” she told herself weakly as she left the room and headed towards the cluster of people seated at the table at the far end of the office. 

Interns always had a built-in radar for work, and these were no different. The moment they heard her approaching, they sat up straighter in their seats, looking at her expectantly. 

Jihyun set down the file on their table. “I need a copy of all the documents inside made in an hour. While you’re at it, check the file in the server, and update it by scanning the documents that aren’t in the server yet. One hour,” she reminded, before turning around to head back to her own work.

She hadn’t missed the disappointment that had flickered over some of the young faces, and a sliver of guilt wormed its way into her heart. She’d been there before - an intern who was working for peanuts while trying to juggle law school, with the hope that it would give her some practical work experience, instead only being given meagre tasks like running the photocopier - which was why she rarely passed on tasks like this to her own interns, preferring to do it herself unless she truly couldn’t squeeze it into her schedule. Like today. 

Looking at the files waiting expectantly for her attention on her desk, she shook her head. No time for such thoughts. There was a reason she had to do what was necessary, and she’d better get started on that.

*****

“Attention, everybody.” A clear voice called out, and Jihyun looked up from her computer, blinking a few times to get rid of the spots swimming around in her eyes, to see Koo Chan Mi, head of the mergers and acquisitions team, standing in the middle of the Left Wing with Jihoon by her side. They were close enough to her that Jihyun didn’t need to move, and she and Mingyu merely swivelled around in their chairs, unlike those who had their desks further away who had started crowding around the closer desks. 

“Right.” Koo Chan Mi clapped her hands once, and smiled warmly at all of them. “As all of you would have known, Choi Industries started on a mutual acquisition with Yoon Corporation a few months earlier. I am pleased to announce that as of today, the acquisition has been officially finalised, symbolising the start to a whole new level of success for both companies. Mr. Lee and I would like to thank the M&A team for the hard work that they’ve put in over the past few months, as well as the rest of the department who’ve given us the support and cooperation needed for us to succeed. Thank you for not cursing us out of the office every time we cut queues for the printers.”

“Who says we didn’t?” Someone yelled out good-naturedly, and the department burst into laughter.

Jihoon raised a hand, and the laughter subsided, though not the smiles. “This mutual acquisition has been the source of a lot of migraines, and I, for one, am glad that we’ve finally completed the difficult parts. M&A team, you’ve done an amazing job, and as Ms. Koo has said earlier, thank you as well to everyone who gave the team the cooperation they needed.

“The legal department from Yoon Corporation has been in touch with us, and we’ve decided to have a joint celebration dinner together. It will also give us a good opportunity to familiarise ourselves with our counterparts for future dealings.”

“Is everyone invited?” Mingyu asked, and Jihoon nodded.

“The entire department is invited, interns included.” Gasps rang out from the far end of the circle of people, eliciting another round of amused and understanding laughter. “We’ll be informing the Right Wing after this. The dinner will be held at The Conrad tomorrow night at 7pm, and anyone who wishes to attend will need to inform your department heads before 5pm today. As both departments would likely be heading over immediately after work, business attire will be the dress code of the night. I want everyone’s business cards ready, and if you’re running low, inform HR and secure sufficient cards for tomorrow night. Questions?” Jihoon paused for a moment, and after a few seconds of silence, he continued, “Alright then. Back to work, everybody.”

Once he was seated in his office, separated from the buzz of excitement going around the cubicles, Jihoon’s phone buzzed in his pocket. 

To:  
Unsurprisingly, our entire team will be attending

From:  
Alright

To:  
Wanna have dinner together later?

From:  
Alright  
Text me when you’re done with work

*****

Their favourite galbi-jjim place was crowded, but they’d still managed to snag an empty table in a corner. 

“Is Seungcheol joining the dinner tomorrow night?” Jihyun asked around a bite of kimchi.

Jihoon shook his head. “He’ll be attending the formal dinner next week, with Soonyoung.”

Oh.

“Right,” she said as casually as she could manage, but she saw Jihoon’s eyes narrow, and groaned inwardly. Damn it, why did he have to know her so well?

“What was that?”

“What was what?”

Jihoon pointed his chopsticks at her, and waggled it a couple of times for good measure. “Don’t ‘what was what’ me. Soonyoung. Did something happen between the both of you?”

“We haven’t talked in two months,” Jihyun said dryly, digging a spoon into the plate of beef ribs in front of her. “I assure you, nothing has happened between the both of us.”

Though there could have been, and she hated that her mind still longed to explore the possibility, particularly during late nights where she couldn’t sleep and her mind was allowed to roam through all the drawers she’d stuffed the thoughts she didn’t want to dwell upon during the day in.

She wasn’t lying when she said that they hadn’t talked in two months. Soonyoung may have been friends with Seungcheol and Jeonghan again, but she’d yet to see Soonyoung at any of the dinners their group of friends tried to organise once in a while, with or without everybody present. Since it wasn’t her place to ask, she’d never brought it up either. The only way she’d seen Soonyoung was when he appeared in the news, giving quick interviews on the company, always somber and solemn in his suit, leaving no room for doubt that despite his young age, he’d earned the position and the power it brought him. 

“He’s joined us for our weekly drinking sessions, though.”

Oh.

She already knew that Soonyoung was actively ignoring her. Okay, maybe she was still in denial over the painfully obvious fact that Soonyoung was ignoring her. But knowing that Soonyoung would join Seungcheol and the rest for their weekly drinking sessions, all the while knowing that Jihyun rarely attended those, was a big slap on the face.

Just how much did he want to avoid her? Very much, it seemed. It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did, but it hurt. And she wondered, blearily, why she cared.

Jihoon was looking at her, his eyes thoughtful. But he didn’t press the issue, merely scooped a piece of well-marinated pork rib into her bowl and said, “I haven’t been to your new place ever since you moved in.”

Jihyun frowned. “Likewise. How’s the apartment?”

“I’m still adjusting to living alone,” Jihoon admitted quietly after a short pause. “I’ve forgotten how empty a place can feel when you’re the only one there. It’s not about needing someone there, but... it gets lonely.”

Knowing Jihoon, he would hate the feeling. Independence was something they both prided themselves on, and even though they could survive well enough on their own - perhaps not Jihoon, unless he had unlimited access to instant ramen and takeout - she knew that having to break the habit of being used to seeing another face around the house, being able to talk to someone whenever you came home, was not only a stark reminder of what they’d lost, but also how much they’d come to rely on the other person’s presence being a part of their lives.

Jeonghan and Seungcheol had found them both new places to stay in; neither of them had been willing to remain in their old apartments, not when every nook and cranny reminded them of the bittersweet memories they’d created there. The move had taken place during their vacation, with the help of efficient and trustworthy moving companies, and all Jihyun and Jihoon had to do was show up at their new places and move in. 

Jihoon had taken a place a few blocks away from Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s residence, while Jihyun, who earned way lesser than her insufferable best friend, had rejected Jeonghan’s offer to get her a discounted rental rate in the same building - the man owned it, but still - before Jeonghan had grumpily and reluctantly agreed to find her another place, though he had still insisted on hiring the moving company. Jihyun was also sure that Jeonghan was behind the guards looking out for her whenever she met them while leaving and coming back. Or maybe she was overthinking it, and the guards were just kind souls who were making sure that their tenant in 2605 who was a woman staying alone needed extra care. 

“Well, you’re sending me home later anyway. Come up for a look.”

“Asking me back to your place, huh?” Jihoon waggled his eyebrows, and Jihyun snorted, grabbing an egg roll and stuffing it into his mouth, smiling wickedly as he let out a surprised ‘oof’ and tried not to choke on it. 

“You wish, Ji. You wish.”

Amidst their laughter, they didn’t realise that a figure had approached their table until the newcomer said, “Jihoon hyung?”

The both of them stopped mid-laugh, and stared at the familiar face grinning down at them. “Hyung! Oh, hi, Jihyun, you’re here too!”

“Hansol.” Jihoon, sobered up, patted the space beside him. “Come on, sit down with us.”

Hansol shook his head. “It’s alright, hyung, I’m just here for some takeout. Soonyoung hyung’s outside waiting for me; we need to be back at the office for some OT.”

Jihyun sent up a silent prayer of thanks to the skies, because if she had food in her mouth, she would’ve been choking on it right there and then.

Jihoon didn’t miss a beat, though his eyes did flick over to her face interestedly before he asked casually, “Oh, Soonyoung’s outside? Jihyun was just saying she hasn’t seen Soonyoung since the Jeju trip.”

If looks could kill, Jihoon would be ten feet under already, but alas, that was not the case. “Right,” Jihyun croaked. “Um, yeah. Haven’t seen Soonyoung in a while.”

Hansol ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry. We’ve been kind of swamped with work ever since we got back. We still have to handle the work from the Japan offices, and now work from the Korean offices as well.”

“Right.” Jihyun kindly didn’t bring up the fact that Soonyoung most definitely had time for alcohol binging sessions with Seungcheol and Jeonghan, because really, what would have been the point? “Good luck, Hansol. Don’t overwork yourself too much, alright? It’s almost nine and you still haven’t eaten dinner.” She couldn’t help the reproachful tone in her voice, and Hansol grinned meekly.

“I will. I’ll see you guys next time. Enjoy your dinner!”

“Bye, Hansol. Say hello to Soonyoung for us.” Jihoon added, and Hansol nodded before leaving the restaurant. 

Jihoon turned back to look at her, and she pointedly ignored him, focusing on her food, until his gaze started to burn into the back of her neck and she whipped her head up to glare at him. “What?”

He must’ve been pleased with her reaction, because he hummed and went back to his own food. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“I hate you, Ji.”

“I’m flattered, Hyun.”

*****

“Did they run out or something?” Soonyoung asked when his assistant slid into the shotgun seat, already looking at the side mirror and ready to pull out onto the road to drive back to the headquarters of Yoon Corporation.

“Nope, I got our orders. Galbi-jjim for you, galbi-tang for me.”

“Oh.” They stopped at a red light, and Soonyoung tapped his fingers absently on the wheel. “I thought it was taking longer than usual. Or maybe it’s just me.”

Hansol cleared his throat. “That would be on me. I ran into Jihoon hyung and Jihyun having dinner together, and I stopped by their table to talk.”

The car was dark, and Hansol missed the way his boss had tensed up at the mention of the woman he’d tried hard not to think about for the past few months. 

Jihyun.

How was she? He wondered, before reminding himself that it wasn’t his place to ask. But selfishly, a part of him wondered if she was suffering as much as he was, if she thought about him as much as he did her, if she picked up her phone late at night typing out a message to him, only to delete everything and put down her phone again. Because he did.

“Hyung? The light’s green,” Hansol called out, shaking him out from his reverie. Luckily, the streets were fairly deserted at this time of night, and there was no impatient driver behind him ready to honk if he continued zoning out. He stepped on the gas, and the car cruised past the junction, making its way back to the office building.

Hansol snuck a look at his boss as he drove, eyes focused on the road, and debated internally whether he should tell Soonyoung about his conversation with Jihoon and Jihyun earlier. In truth, what was there to not tell? It had been a minute-long conversation where the duo had shown concern towards their heavy workload, and that was it.

So why was he hesitating?

“Spit it out.”

Still engrossed in his internal battle, Hansol only realised that they’d already pulled up at the all too familiar building, and Soonyoung was looking at him with an eyebrow raised. “Ah, sorry?”

Soonyoung let out a exasperated huff. “I could literally hear you thinking all the way here. So spit it out. What’s on your mind?”

Well, since he put it that way. “Um, Jihyun mentioned that she hadn’t seen you since we got back. And, um, they said hello. That’s all.”

Soonyoung was the CEO of one of the most successful companies in the country, who had established his authority through blood, sweat and tears in such a way that no one, not even the most seasoned veterans in the arena, dared to challenge him despite his young age. But now, as Hansol stared at him, all Hansol could see was a man whose eyes had frozen over with a thin sheen of ice, yet the ice did nothing much to hide away the vulnerability underneath it. 

He looked like a man who was tired of running away from what he wanted, yet couldn’t do anything about it. 

*****

The food was good, but that was hardly unexpected of The Conrad, one of the biggest hotels in the city, and surprisingly not owned by either of the companies generously paying for tonight’s dinner. She supposed why it had been chosen; they may have given each other a part of themselves, and the owners may have been childhood friends, but the power play could never be put on pause. 

Dinner had been planned in such a way that seating wasn’t fixed. Instead, the attendees were allowed and encouraged to mingle around with each other, and the spacious restaurant was filled with a steady trickle of chatter and the occasional laughter. Brief introductions had been held at the beginning, so that they could talk to their counterparts from the other side and exchange contacts for future convenience. However, as the dinner progressed, they had slowly dispersed around to mingle with those close to their age, and Jihyun was currently talking to a smart-looking woman who had been Mingyu’s classmate during university, and who was entertaining her with embarrassing stories about Mingyu from those years. 

“Didn’t know you were once a wild frat boy, Mingyu,” Jihyun smirked at the tall man over her glass of wine, and Mingyu glared at her.

“But once he got together with Wonwoo, it was all over.” The woman chuckled. “They were the golden couple of our year, and you would not believe how fast Mingyu’s grades went up. The lecturers were convinced that he was cheating, until the class rep - who was one of the biggest nerds in our year who could never be bribed - vouched for him.”

“Miyeon!” Someone called out, and the woman turned around to signal to give her a moment. 

“I have to go; that’s my teammate.” She turned towards Mingyu, her eyes warm. “It’s so nice to hear that you and Wonwoo are still together. Let’s catch up sometimes; you have my number now. Join us as well, Jihyun.”

“Of course.” Jihyun smiled back. “See you, Miyeon.”

Once the woman was out of earshot, Jihyun turned to Mingyu, who was chugging down his wine like it was beer. Alarmed, she reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Whoa, not like this. You’ll get tipsy too fast.”

Fortunately, he stilled and lowered the glass, though obvious damage had been done to his wine. Jihyun kept her eyes on his. “What’s wrong?” She asked, concerned.

It took a while before he spoke. “I...I knew I wasn’t a model student back then in uni, but I didn’t realise I was so...”

Ah. 

“Despicable,” Mingyu said, settling on the word. “I didn’t know that I was such a shitty person.”

“Were you?” Jihyun asked, and Mingyu looked down at her, eyes dull.

“You heard Miyeon. Look at how I wasted my parents’ money for the first couple of years, just because I thought it wouldn’t be cool if I studied. How I was the one to throw back the most number of shots, just because I wanted to impress people I don’t even keep in touch with anymore.”

“That’s despicable?” 

“Isn’t it?”

“No, it’s called being idiotic.”

He shot her a baleful look. “Not helping.”

“You are being idiotic right now.” Sighing, Jihyun took his wine glass away from him, ignoring the way he tried to tug it back and keeping it firmly in her grasp. “Gyu, we’ve all been dumb in uni. I’d say going to law school was the dumbest shit we ever did-“ she got a snort out of him for that, “but apart from that, we all did stupid stuff back then. Got too drunk, missed some deadlines-“

“You probably didn’t.”

“I didn’t,” Jihyun said agreeably. “But to be fair, I couldn’t afford it, and I wasn’t interested in partying, not that I never gave it a shot. Doesn’t mean those who did are despicable. That’s a harsh word, Gyu, and you know it. You were a dumb idiot, I’m not going to deny that, but looking back, they’re memories too. And you met Wonwoo. Isn’t that all that matters, in the end?”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Mingyu sighed, running a hand through his hair, and Jihyun swore she felt a number of gazes shoot their way in his direction. “Sorry. I just... I think I’m going to give Wonwoo a huge hug when I get back tonight.”

Jihyun laughed; the man in front of her was so in love that it made her heart burst with happiness for him, and she shoved away any encroaching reminders of her own loneliness. 

Mingyu reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone - damn office skirts that didn’t come with pockets, and she hadn’t really bothered with a bag tonight - handing it to her. “It was vibrating just now. I think you have a message.”

“Yeah,” she murmured as she scanned the message from Jihoon. “Gyu, I need to go do something for a bit. I’ll come back and find you later, kay?”

Mingyu shrugged, back to his easygoing self. “Sure. I’ll go mingle around while you’re at it.”

As she weaved through the crowd of people, throwing polite smiles here and there whenever she caught someone’s eyes, she wondered why Jihoon had summoned her to the elevators. Nearing the door, she saw Jihoon standing by the fleet of elevators, along with Ms. Koo and three other older men who had been introduced earlier as higher-ups in the legal department at Yoon Corporation.

Spotting her approach, Ms. Koo turned towards her and said genially, “Ah, she’s here.”

Jihyun bowed deeply before straightening up to face the group of people. “Good evening, I’m Jung Jihyun, part of Mr. Lee’s team. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Park, Mr. Shin, Mr. Oh.”

Mr. Park, the head of the legal department at Yoon Corporation, gave her an approving nod. “Ms. Jung. We’ve heard a lot about you from Mr. Lee and Ms. Koo here.”

“Jihyun is fine, sir. I’m grateful for the opportunity to meet you.”

The polite small talk - note: her buttering them up with subtle admiration and excessive deference that made her want to wince at herself - went on for a few more minutes before Mr. Park shifted his attention back to her. “You do sound as... dependable as your superiors have made you out to be.”

The word ‘dependable’ made it sound as though the man was desperately clutching at straws to give her a compliment, and Jihyun had to forcibly stop her eyes from rolling back into her head, which nearly gave her an aneurysm. Instead, she said, “I’m glad you think so, sir.” 

“Will you be attending the dinner next week?” Mr. Oh asked in his gravelly voice.

The dinner in question was a celebration dinner by both companies, which would be attended by the heads of each company as well as the key people who were involved in the mutual acquisition - she knew that Jihoon and Ms. Koo were to be representatives from their department. Invitations had also been sent to as many subsidiaries and clients as the venue could afford to accommodate, prioritising those whose businesses would have come within the reach of the acquisition. 

“No, sir. I wasn’t involved with the mutual acquisition.” If raising an eyebrow wouldn’t have been interpreted as a sign of utmost disrespect, she would’ve done it right there and then. Why was she here? She didn’t dare send an enquiring look in Jihoon’s way, worried that it might give the wrong message, but he hadn’t spoken a word ever since she arrived. She was starting to wonder if this was some twisted hostage situation, and the message earlier a cryptic call for help. 

“Would you like to attend?” Mr. Oh continued, and Jihyun was baffled for a moment, though experience had her keeping her poker face in place. Whatever feathers were going to be ruffled would only be ruffled on the inside. Though the question had put her in a tricky position - if she were to answer ‘no’, there was a risk of sounding stuck-up and ungrateful for the opportunity she knew many back there in the restaurant would die for, yet if she were to answer ‘yes’, it would undoubtedly paint her as someone who was too ambitious.

Jihoon must’ve sensed her hesitation, and though he couldn’t give her a direct reassurance, he intervened. “Mr. Park mentioned that they required some employees to volunteer at the dinner,” he said evenly, “and Ms. Koo and I were wondering if you would be willing to lend your time to help out.”

“You are, after all, one of the best employees in the department,” Ms. Koo added. Jihyun understood the underlying message behind the woman’s sentence; both companies may have entered a state of cooperation, but competition was inevitable, especially between the legal departments. None of them would have survived the gruelling experience of law school without a competitive streak in them, having been pitted against each other in every aspect of their studies. When Jihyun completed whatever tasks would be assigned to her on the night of the dinner - she used ‘when’ and not ‘if’, since it wasn’t as though she had a choice - she would be expected to outperform her Yoon Corporation counterpart, and Jihoon would expect no less. Hell, she herself would expect no less. 

Putting on a smile of quiet deference, Jihyun bowed her head slightly. “I would love to volunteer, of course. Anything for the company.”

Mr. Park’s eyes glittered with poorly hidden glee. Jihyun wanted to sigh at the obvious underestimation of her, but she managed to hold it in. “Wonderful. The person-in-charge will be in touch with you, Jihyun. We’ll see you at the dinner, eh?”

“I won’t disappoint, sir.” She gave the men another deep bow as they bade farewell, and remained in that position until they were in the elevator. The moment the elevator doors closed behind them, she swung herself upright again, and looked at Jihoon, who had shed his mask of civility and had a look of utter exasperation on his face. Beside him, Ms. Koo whispered something to him, before nodding to Jihyun and walking back into the restaurant.

“He couldn’t have made it even more obvious that he thought you were making the biggest mistake of your life by offering me up as tribute,” Jihyun muttered darkly under her breath.

Jihoon was shaking his head, but a corner of his lips was slowly curving up. “That’s going to be their mistake, isn’t it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh?


	32. Chapter Thirty-One

Dinner with Jisoo was a much-needed reprieve from her demanding work, and Jihyun knew that it was the same with Jisoo, who had taken on longer shifts and more responsibilities as the position on the hospital’s Board of Directors loomed closer and closer. They were both exhausted, and were desperate for a short break from all the stress that their jobs brought them, even if it was just dinner with each other. There was something wonderfully indescribable about spending time with someone who had known you for most of their lives, someone who knew you so well that words were almost never needed. Only their company.

They’d decided on having dinner at her place, and Jihyun had tossed together one of the easiest meals she could think of - a pot of budae jjigae - too weary to prepare anything more intricate, yet unwilling to have takeaway food with Jisoo, insisting that he needed home-cooked meals as someone who survived on microwave meals for most of the week.

Jisoo had surprised her with two huge slices of chocolate cake from one of the most renowned bakeries in the city, one of which she was currently happily devouring while listening to Jisoo talk about his patients, her mouth subconsciously curving up into a smile as his eyes lit up with pride from his own work. It was deeply buried under layers of bone-deep weariness and stress, but the love for his job and the passion to heal was there. 

“So,” Jisoo said, “the dinner’s on Friday?”

Nodding, Jihyun picked up another forkful of gooey, decadent heaven. “I’m supposed to be in charge of guests who require a room to stay in for the night. The event managers are of the opinion that a lot of them will get dead drunk, despite it being a respectful dinner event and not a free-flow night at a club, and they’ve booked seven floors’ worth of rooms for that particular purpose.”

Jisoo laughed. “As someone who’s had a fair share of formal events, I assure you it’s absolutely a possibility. Smart of them to do that; the hospital never books rooms for us during the annual dinners, and most of my colleagues would do that by themselves once they find out where the dinner’s going to be held.” At Jihyun’s look of complete bafflement, he grinned. “When stress meets alcohol-“ he clapped his palms together, “bam. You’ll have a fine time ushering drunk men to their rooms.” As though suddenly realising what Jihyun’s job actually required her to do, he frowned. “Come to think of it, should you be carrying drunk men to their rooms? That’s so dangerous.”

Jihyun shrugged. “They’re probably going to have a few other volunteers for the job. I’ll just make sure I only take the females or couples. That should work, right?” Seeing Jisoo’s concerned expression grow, she hastily switched topics. “I’m not used to the idea of it being Jeonghan’s company’s dinner, yet I won’t be seeing him there, and none of the attendees except our friends and some other people will know that he should be there.”

That seemed to have distracted Jisoo, and he shrugged. “It’s how he prefers it. And Soonyoung does a great job managing Yoon Corporation.”

The mention of Soonyoung annihilated the sweetness in her mouth almost instantly, and forcing the mouthful of cake down her throat was like swallowing sandpaper. But she still managed to nod and look as though she absolutely agreed with Jisoo, but was just too busy enjoying the cake to give him a proper response. Though she couldn’t help but agree with Jisoo - Soonyoung’s fierce dedication towards his work was undeniable, and the rapid and terrifying growth of Yoon Corporation over the past years was solid evidence.

She wondered if it would be her place to ask Jisoo why Jeonghan didn’t want to be at the helm of Yoon Corporation in person, choosing to work from the cramped office space above Spring instead, but realised that it wasn’t Jisoo’s place to tell her anyway. It would be unfair for all of them if she were to hear the explanation from anyone who wasn’t the man himself. 

Jisoo had started on washing the dishes, and she went over to help him, only to be gently shooed away. “The person who cooks doesn’t wash up, remember?” He said, scrubbing at a plate.

Jihyun huffed, but stepped back obligingly. Tradition was tradition, after all.

After the dishes were sparkling clean and left out to dry on the racks, Jisoo dried his hands and opened her fridge, taking out a paper bag. “I’m going to make a move now,” he called out, shutting the door. “I bought two extra slices of cake for Jeonghan and Seungcheol, and I want to drop them off before I get home.”

“Can I tag along?”

*****

Panting, Jeonghan tried to catch his breath as he collapsed bonelessly against the headboard of his bed. His partner hadn’t moved from where he had been laying on the sheets, and was even smirking at him, though his flushed skin was evidence that it had hardly been a one-sided effort. 

“That was nice,” the man hummed.

“I think that blew nice out of the ballpark,” Jeonghan muttered as he felt his racing heart slow down, and his partner laughed, strands of brown fluttering around his face. 

The man got up, and patted Jeonghan on the shoulder. “Stay put. I’ll get a towel.”

Jeonghan was too tired to object; besides, he enjoyed being pampered. To be fair, who wouldn’t? He was thanking his lucky stars for his selflessly caring bedmate when the man in question appeared from the adjoining bathroom, promised towel in hand, and gently wiped away all traces of their earlier exertions. After he was satisfied with the cleaning, he set aside the towel and sat back down on the bed beside Jeonghan, and proceeded to run his fingers softly through the tousled golden locks. “You got a touch-up?” He asked, examining the blond roots.

Jeonghan nodded, and the man frowned slightly. “Han, your scalp needs a break.”

“I know.” And he did, he truly did; wasn’t he the one who suffered through the tedious process of touching up his roots every few weeks, wincing as the bleach stung his extremely delicate scalp? But...

As though sensing his unhappiness, the man took his hand and squeezed. “You’ll be gorgeous with any hair colour. You know that, right?”

Of course he did, but before he could answer, the doorbell rang. Both of them shared a confused look between them before Jeonghan reluctantly clamoured out of bed, pulling on his sweats and a tee. “Did you call for food?” He asked, walking out of the room.

“No. Must be someone here for you.”

Huh. The bell rang again, and Jeonghan rolled his eyes at the impatient guest as he hurried to his front door. Without looking through the peephole - and looking back, Jeonghan realised how disastrous that one careless omission had been - he flung the door open, only for his eyes to widen with surprise when he saw who was at his door.

“Jihyun?”

*****

The guards at the gate to Jeonghan’s residence waved them through the moment they saw Jisoo, presumably because he was a regular visitor. After carefully parking his sedan at the visitor’s slot, the duo made their way over to the currently empty lobby, and waited patiently for an elevator to arrive.

“You know,” Jisoo hummed, “You haven’t told me why you wanted to come along.”

Jihyun inspected her reflection in the mirrored panel. In her shorts and cream sweater, she looked extremely out of place in the lavishly decorated building, but why would she bother dressing up when it was only a quick visit to Jeonghan’s place? “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

The elevator doors slid open softly with a ding. “Don’t you two meet up for lunches regularly?” Jisoo asked, pressing the two buttons at the top. 

“I haven’t been able to see him for the past couple of weeks.” When she said her work was demanding, she meant it. The mutual acquisition had brought along a flurry of work with it; Choi Industries had strategically injected more capital into several of their subsidiaries and companies, and the entire legal department, regardless of their area of expertise, had been swamped with files. Jihyun was sure that despite the late hour, Jihoon would still be hard at work, be it in his office or home. 

The elevator stopped on Jeonghan’s floor, and Jisoo held the doors open for her while he passed her the paper bag, which she gingerly took. “Go in first; I’ll go upstairs and get Seungcheol.”

“Kays.” Jihyun walked down the now-familiar hallway, and rang the bell to Jeonghan’s unit once, frowning slightly when there was no response. Wasn’t Jeonghan home? She rang the bell again, and this time the door swung open, revealing Jeonghan with his long hair messily framing his face, a look of surprise in his eyes. But what had her raising her eyebrows wasn’t the flush of pink riding high on his cheekbones, nor the slightly swollen lips, but the patch of purple on his collarbone peeking out from the collar of his T-shirt. 

“Jihyun?”

“You have company,” she said promptly, causing Jeonghan’s face to turn an even brighter shade of red. 

And then Jihyun realised who would be arriving soon, and shoved Jeonghan into his house in a panic. “Oh lord, you have company,” she repeated. 

“I-“

“Jisoo’s coming down with Seungcheol!” She hissed, and that had the colour leaching out of Jeonghan’s face real quick.

“Ah-what?”

At that moment, the doorbell rang, and both Jihyun and Jeonghan shot equally horrified looks at the door behind them. Luckily, Jihyun got to her senses faster. Shoving the paper bag into Jeonghan’s hand, she grabbed his arms. “Where is he?”

Jeonghan jerked his head towards the direction of his bedroom, and Jihyun nodded. “I’m going to go inside and tell him to stay put until we give him the green light. Put away his shoes-“ Jihyun gestured to a pair of sneakers placed neatly by the door that looked extremely expensive and somewhat familiar, though she couldn’t place them while her mind was occupied with trying to save Jeonghan from getting himself into an exceedingly embarrassing situation, “and open the door. Tell them I went to use the bathroom. And this-“ she reached up and tugged his collar over his hickey, “keep it hidden. Got it?”

He was still pale, but he nodded mutely, and that was probably the best Jihyun could hope for. Leaving Jeonghan alone in the hallway, she quickly made her way towards the bedroom, and when she heard Jeonghan opening the front door and letting out a forced laugh, she slipped through the bedroom door and shut it behind her, heaving a sigh of relief.

She didn’t turn around, but instead whispered into the dark bedroom, “Are you dressed?”

“I’m decent. You can turn around.” The voice was soft and melodious, and despite the situation, calm. She took in a deep breath as she turned around, preparing to launch into a long explanation of why the mystery man needed to stay put in the room and be as quiet as he could, until her eyes met the man’s and widened. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

Xu Minghao stared at her, his hair messily tousled, long frame clad in a robe as he lounged on the rumpled sheets, reminding Jihyun that she may have disturbed their session with her unannounced presence. But she forcibly shoved down the embarrassment, and looked at the designer incredulously. “Jeonghan was sleeping with you?”

One of his eyebrows quirked up. “Technically, there wasn’t any sleeping involved. But yes, we were... sleeping together before you arrived.” So that explained the sneakers; they were the newest releases from the designer’s label, and Mingyu had just been showing her the preview photos a few days earlier. Seeing that she was still staring at him, he continued, “I gather that you know me?”

“I’m colleagues with Kim Mingyu,” she said, and understanding flickered across the designer’s attractive face. 

“The reliable Mingyu. So you must be Jihyun, Jeonghan’s friend.”

“Right now, I’m not feeling very friendly towards him,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair exasperatedly as she wondered how Jeonghan could’ve thought that sleeping with a designer whose label was under Choi Industries while he was madly in love with the CEO of Choi Industries was a good idea. But she remembered the reason she was standing in the bedroom, and cleared her throat. “So, I need you to stay put for a while until Jeonghan comes back in. There’s a-“

“Seungcheol is here, isn’t he?”

The gently uttered question threw her off guard, and she blinked at the man, whose face was as calm as it was earlier, no traces of anger or jealousy to be found. She nodded, finding no good reason to deny. Minghao smiled, and leaned back against the pillows. “Alright then. You should go back out before Seungcheol wonders where you disappeared off to.”

Did Jihyun have questions? Yes, she did. Did she have the urge to wrap her fingers around Jeonghan’s neck and shake him until she got some answers? Most definitely. But there was a time and place for scary interrogations, and this wasn’t it. So with one last look at Minghao, who had picked up a book from the bedside table - Thank You For Saying That? The man had taste - and was already quietly reading, she slipped out of the bedroom and nearly ran smack into Jisoo, who was walking towards the bedroom.

“Hey!” She chirped, taking care to ensure that the bedroom door was firmly shut behind her. “I was just using the bathroom. Are we leaving already?”

“The bathroom’s by the kitchen.”

“I know, but Jeonghan was using it right before I arrived, so he offered to let me use the one in his bedroom instead.” Smile in place, she casually looped an arm around Jisoo’s and guided him towards the living room, where Seungcheol and Jeonghan were conversing, cake boxes already open and forks in hand. “Hi, Seungcheol.”

He greeted her with a wave of his fork. “Hey. Thanks for the cake. How’s work?”

“No mention of work while we’re not at work,” Jeonghan declared, shoving a mouthful of cake into Seungcheol’s mouth, and the man obediently munched on it before swallowing.

“Stop being such a couple,” Jisoo groaned, flopping down on the sofa, and Jihyun followed suit. Jeonghan stuck out his tongue at Jisoo, but didn’t protest, and surprisingly, neither did Seungcheol, who only grinned at them before digging into his own slice of cake.

And as she watched Jeonghan and Seungcheol giggle and feed each other cake, she prayed fervently to the skies that Jeonghan knew what he was doing.

*****

“Talk,” Jihyun demanded even before she sat down at their usual table in the cafe. 

Her long-haired companion merely sent her a lazy, insolent glance, earning him a cold glare that could’ve frozen hell over and sent the devil running for shelter. Jeonghan surrendered, and sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“The question is, what can I know?” Jihyun countered, the ice in her eyes replaced by concern. 

It had been shocking to find that Jeonghan had been sleeping with another man while being in love with Seungcheol, and Jihyun would admit that were it up to her yesterday, she would’ve stayed back and demanded for answers until she got them instead of allowing Jisoo to send her home. But once she’d gotten home and had sorted through the medley of whats and whys running amok in her mind, she realised that it simply wasn’t her place to judge Jeonghan for his choices, nor was it her place to ask him to explain himself. So when she’d texted him earlier today asking to have lunch together, she’d repeatedly reminded herself that she would only listen to what Jeonghan was comfortable with sharing, and not interrogate him on his personal life.

The server brought over two huge mugs of their usual strawberry milk, and Jeonghan took a small sip, using the time to organise his thoughts before he answered. “I sleep with Minghao occasionally. Have been, for the past couple of years. He’s a great friend, so I suppose that makes us friends with benefits, though neither of us have ever wanted to put a label on our friendship. Yes, I’m in love with Cheol,” he said in a softer voice, answering her unspoken question. “And I know how it looks like. But I...”

Reaching across the table, Jihyun nudged his clenched fist with a tentative finger. “Han ah,” she said, her tone gentle but firm, “I’m not here to judge you. Please, please remember that. We can stop talking about this if you-“

“No,” Jeonghan burst out harshly, before shaking his head and calming down. “No,” he repeated. “I know that you won’t judge. But I... I have needs. I love Cheol, but I can’t stay celibate for years while pining hopelessly after someone who will never love me back.”

“I never expected you to do that. I was just surprised when I saw Xu Minghao in your bed, that’s all.” Jihyun gave him a small smile, which rubbed away some of the torn desperation on his face. “I never expected your ‘friend’ to be such a high-profile person.”

“I met Minghao back then when Soonyoung discovered him,” Jeonghan said, too engrossed in the memory to notice Jihyun’s slight flinch at the mention of Kwon Soonyoung. “He was much quieter back then, but his designs spoke for him fairly well. Soonyoung was eager to offer him a contract to start up his own label under Yoon Corporation, but we weren’t very established in the fashion industry, and I reminded him that it would only do more harm than good for us to push Minghao into an area where neither of us would be able to give him the best opportunities. That’s when we recommended him to Cheol, and that’s where THE8 started to grow into the iconic fashion label it is today.

“We started off as friends. Back then, Soonyoung was always busy, swamped with work on a daily basis, and he had no time to drop by Minghao’s studio, though they did keep in touch through calls and texts. But as the mysterious President of the corporation, I had much more free time on my hands in comparison to Soonyoung, despite having to manage Spring at the same time. So I dropped by his studio frequently, bringing him meals when he worked late, showing him photos of my arrangements, and I guess that that was how we bonded - over designs of our own creation, despite the different output. 

“He didn’t know my identity at first. But he knew of my crush on Seungcheol.”

“Honestly, it’s fairly obvious after spending some time around the both of you,” Jihyun commented, and a corner of Jeonghan’s lips curved up into a ghost of a smile. 

“Unfortunately, the only oblivious one is the man I’m in love with. Anyway, after Minghao found out, he was someone else other than Joshua that could listen to my constant whining and moping about my unrequited love. Like how most relationships like ours started out, I went over to his studio one night after some bar-hopping with Cheol, drunk and heartbroken because Cheol had dumped me at the bar and left with a woman. And that was the first time I slept with him.

“The next morning when I finally woke up with the mother of all hangovers, he was there to give me some aspirin and water, to make me breakfast and tell me it was fine when I was near a breakdown from realising that I’d slept with a friend I cherished. After I’d calmed down, we talked, and decided that both of us were okay with the arrangement, and we promised that it wouldn’t affect our friendship, no matter what happened. I also told him about my position, knowing that if I could trust him with balancing a relationship perfectly between the physical parts and the part where we’re ultimately friends, I could trust him with my secret. So, here we are.” Jeonghan said, drumming his fingers lightly on the tabletop. “Friends with benefits. No one else knows, not Shua, definitely not Cheol. I’m sure Soonyoung doesn’t know either.”

“You slept with Seungcheol during our trip to Jeju,” Jihyun said questioningly. “Why would you label your love for him as a hopeless one?”

Jeonghan let out a humourless laugh as he recalled the drive back home from the airport, the shock and the pain that had nearly torn him apart when Seungcheol had casually mentioned the blanks in his memory of the one night Jeonghan knew he would never forget in his entire lifetime. “Hyun ah, he doesn’t even remember who he slept with. To him, it was another one-night stand whom he was too drunk to remember, even though the experience was supposedly a wondrous one.”

“I honestly thought Seungcheol was straight,” Jihyun murmured, recalling her discussion with Jihoon.

Jeonghan shrugged lazily. “I did, too. But according to Cheol, he was always bi; he just hadn’t met any men that he particularly wanted to sleep with for the past few years.”

“Until you.”

“And it still wasn’t enough.” The heartbreakingly self-depreciating smile on Jeonghan’s face nearly broke her own heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank You For Saying That is a book recommended by DK in one of the recent vlives! It’s in Korean and unfortunately I haven’t found any English translations yet.
> 
> My jeongcheol heart wishes I could rush the two along, but I need some more angst. Sorry, y’all.


	33. Chapter Thirty-Two

Outside the grand ballroom, women clad in stunning cocktail dresses and men dressed up smartly in fitting suits mingled around, glasses of alcohol in their hands as they chatted amongst themselves and flitted from group to group to catch up on the latest gossip, but Jihyun was much too frazzled to try and eavesdrop on any of the conversations around her as she pondered over the clipboard in her hand. Beside her, a tall man waited patiently for her suggestion, and she shot him an apologetic look when she finally looked up from the clipboard. 

“Sorry.”

The man waved away her apology. “It’s fine. So what’s the plan?”

“I don’t think it would be feasible for us to stand guard outside the ballroom, picking up drunk guests left and right. We’d be spreading our forces thin, and what happens when all of us are occupied with showing the guests to the rooms and no one’s here to collect the other drunk guests?”

Nodding, the man gave an agreeable hum. “That makes sense. What should we do, then?”

Jihyun pointed to the clipboard. “We have seven floors, each floor having ten to fifteen rooms depending on the sizes. We have ten people on our team. I would suggest having one person stand by the elevator on each floor, and those seven people would be in charge of showing the guests to their rooms. The remaining three would be on drunk guests collecting duty; all they have to do is send the guests into the elevators and press the floor number for them. Since we have these-“ she gestured to the earpiece in her left ear, “we can communicate with each other and make sure that there will be enough rooms on each floor for the guests we’re sending up.”

“That’s doable. I would suggest that we send couples to the top three floors, which have the bigger suites, and the rest of the single guests to the remaining four floors, perhaps two floors for men and two for female guests unless we run out of space for such an arrangement.”

“We have four women and six men on hand tonight,” Jihyun observed. “We should have two of the women take the two floors meant for female guests, two men for the two floors meant for the male guests, and perhaps two men and one women for the three floors meant for couples. The remaining can stay here.”

“Yes, that would be prudent and strategically wise.” The man took back the clipboard, and gave her a smile. “I’m sorry for the disorganisation. There goes my chance of showing you that our department’s more efficient than yours, I suppose.”

Chuckling, Jihyun shook her head. “It’s cute that you thought you ever stood a chance, Mr. Kim. However, jokes aside, no one could have expected your manager to go into labour at the very last minute, so don’t worry about it. Think of it as a free pass,” she suggested. “I’m sure you’ll have many more opportunities to impress me with your department’s efficiency and capability.”

As expected, the man’s eyes lit up with the challenge. “I hope you’ll continue impressing me with yours, Ms. Jung.”

She gave him a polite smile. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

No point telling him that she planned to do nothing else but that.

She was the only volunteer from her department to have joined the team tonight, the other nine volunteers being legal counsels around her age from Yoon Corporation. Imagine her surprise when one of them, who seemed to have appointed himself as the de facto leader while the head of their team had announced her absence, had approached her silently to ask for her advice in organising the volunteers on their team. 

Legal counsels who worked for companies loved nothing more than the opportunity to gossip about other legal counsels, and this was hardly an exception. The moment news had gotten out that she’d agreed to volunteer at tonight’s dinner, she knew that her counterparts at Yoon Corporation had been speculating as to whether she would be as competent as rumours made her out to be, and she knew that every single move she made tonight would directly impact their opinion and respect towards her, be it a positive or negative one. Which was why she had attended with no other goals in mind but to knock their pants off, hoping that it would be enough to serve as a reminder and friendly warning that neither she nor the department standing behind her should ever be taken lightly. 

Jihoon had found her, a flute of golden champagne in his hand, and Jihyun shot him an appreciative look. One could hardly blame her; Jihoon looked dashing in the classic black and white, the colours highlighting his milky skin, the fit accentuating his well-proportioned figure. Catching her look, Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Saw you talking to someone from the other side,” he said by way of greeting. “What did they want?”

She told him about the arrangements that she’d suggested, and Jihoon pursed his lips. “I did hear about Ms. Bae going into labour earlier, but the fact that she left them no further instructions is something I’m not willing to fully accept until I get more evidence,” he told her in a low tone. “That’s like going to the rooftop and yelling ‘we’re a bunch of incompetent asses’ for the entire city to hear.”

Jihyun shot him an amused look. “You know, we’re supposed to be working together. The purpose of this dinner - and the one last week - is to remind us that we’re going to be working together.”

Snorting, Jihoon took a small sip of champagne. “Doesn’t mean we can’t show them who’s got the better department. You better not disappoint me, Hyun.”

She gave him a sardonic smile. “When have I ever, Ji?”

“Well, there was that one moot competition-“

“I won!”

“Yeah, but at the cost of my disappointment,” Jihoon pointed out solemnly, shaking his head. “Was it worth it?”

Jihyun rolled her eyes. “I kept our winning streak alive; shouldn’t that count for something? Wait, one sec.” A voice buzzed in her left ear, and she looked at Jihoon after receiving the message. “The dinner’s going to start soon; we’re supposed to start ushering guests in. You know where your table is, right?”

“Yeah. Ms. Koo’s already there. Have fun, Hyun.” Patting her on her arm, Jihoon swept away, and Jihyun took a deep breath before putting on a winsome smile and started approaching the guests closest to her. “Good evening, sirs! The dinner’s about to start, let me guide you to your table.”

Slowly but surely, the guests filed into the ballrooms and sat at their tables. The band was playing a soft melodious jazz that kept the bright mood up. From her spot by the grand ballroom doors, Jihyun spotted Jihoon and Ms. Koo together with three others from the acquisition department at one of the tables closest to the stage, along with three of the men that Jihyun had met at the dinner last week and two other women who must’ve worked on the mutual acquisition from the offices of Yoon Corporation. However the biggest table in the entire ballroom right in front of the stage was still empty. Where was-

She spoke too soon.

Seungcheol and Soonyoung appeared around the corner, Hansol in tow, followed by a few older-looking men who were most likely the biggest shareholders from both companies. Jihyun had seen Seungcheol in suits fairly often, but the novelty and the realisation that Choi Seungcheol was good-looking as hell never wore off. 

But Soonyoung...

Jihyun hadn’t seen Soonyoung in a few months, her last memory of him being his careful avoidance of her on the last day of their trip, which she had come to realise was merely the beginning of his ‘avoid Jihyun at all costs’ agenda. She’d seen photos and videos of Soonyoung in suits before - the man could often be found in newspapers, magazines and on TV interviews - but damn it, why hadn’t anyone told her that the photos or videos did him no justice?

Soonyoung’s hair had been styled to slick back from his forehead, enhancing his aura of power and authority. The grey suit was tailored to perfection; his unfairly insane body proportions were highlighted, and Jihyun was sure that the man was 75% legs and 25% torso. No, 80/20. And damn it, damn it, he looked so gorgeous Jihyun felt her heart literally skip a beat. She could’ve been confused and slightly hurt over his actions, but she wasn’t blind.

Mr. Kim had approached her, his presence a reminder that she was here to do a job, and personal issues should be locked away in her ‘Later’ drawer in her mind. “We’ll need to walk the VIPs to their table, but they won’t need us while the speeches are being given, so we can go grab some food back in the resting area they set up for us before coming back and waiting for people to get tipsy.”

Jihyun nodded, and that was all she could manage before the group of men arrived at the ballroom doors. Jihyun and Mr. Kim bowed deeply before getting back up, and Jihyun only allowed her gaze to linger on Soonyoug’s face for one self-indulgent second before turning away to smile at the other men. Either the man had an unbeatable poker face, or he wasn’t surprised to see her here, or he simply didn’t care. Jihyun was vouching for the third option; it made more sense.

Mr. Kim was explaining the order of entry, which would be the shareholders and Hansol first, with Seungcheol and Soonyoung going last. He spoke to them with such enthusiasm and deference in his tone, Jihyun had to bite her cheek to stop herself from laughing out loud. It was obvious that he’d never had the wonderful opportunity of dealing with drunk Seungcheol, Hansol and Soonyoung. 

“Ms. Jung here will show you to your table.”

That was her cue. Smile still in place, she gave the group another bow. “At your service, gentlemen.”

“Is she one of yours, Seungcheol ah?” One of the older men asked, and Jihyun could place him as one of the shareholders of Choi Industries, though his name seemed to have eluded her memory. 

Seungcheol nodded, and tilted his head slightly to acknowledge her. The interactions between Seungcheol and Jihyun at the workplace had always been kept to a minimum, and always strictly impassive and professional. Even though Jihyun and Jihoon kept their friendship hidden at work - she had never revealed it to Mingyu either, though she always figured that the man knew but was far too polite to ask her directly - there were moments where they’d slipped up and had interacted far casually than people in their position should, which was why despite Jihyun’s obvious capability at work, there were always speculations as to the relationship between her and Jihoon. Both Seungcheol and Jihyun knew that any hint of friendship between the both of them could do far greater damage to her reputation in the office, hence the cautious, impersonal interactions. “Ms. Jung is part of our legal team, under Mr. Lee. I believe she’s here as a volunteer tonight.”

“You would be correct, sir.”

“Let’s not keep the guests waiting,” Mr. Kim murmured, and she brightened up her smile by a few notches. 

“Follow me, gentlemen.”

After the shareholders - and Hansol, who’d been surprised to see her but had wisely kept quiet - had been shown to the table in the centre of the spotlight to the polite applause of the guests, Jihyun slipped to the side of the ballroom and made her way back to the doors by sticking to the walls. It was a long journey, as the ballroom was the biggest one in the hotel which could accommodate almost 250 guests, but she was fast on her feet, and was back to where Seungcheol, Soonyoung and Mr. Kim were waiting in a few seconds. With a quick nod, Mr. Kim walked through the doors, with Seungcheol and Soonyoung following behind, and the chatter in the ballroom turned into immediate cheers and applause.

Jihyun leaned against the grand doors, and watched as Seungcheol and Soonyoung strode confidently down the red carpet in the middle of the ballroom while smiling and waving at the other guests. They were a powerful duo, Jihyun mused, admiring the view. She’d gotten lucky, having the both of them as people whom she could call friends.

Well, at least one of them.

Impulsively, she took out her phone and snapped a photo of the two walking together side by side, and sent it to Jeonghan.

To:  
(photo attached)

From:  
Whoever said there aren’t two pretty best friends have never seen these two

To:  
Would call you a simp but I have to agree

From:  
Send me more photos

“Hey.” Jihyun looked up from her phone to see Mr. Kim by her side. “I’m going to head over to the resting area for some food, you wanna come with?”

She shook her head; she wanted to stay for the speeches, wanted to see Seungcheol and Soonyoung welcome the start of a new beginning for both their companies. “I’ll see you there later.”

“Go right inside for a clearer view,” Mr. Kim suggested. “Just be sure not to disturb any of the other guests, that’s all.”

Jihyun had just found herself a spot to the left of the stage, hidden from the other guests by a huge potted plant, when the host invited Seungcheol and Soonyoung onstage to give their speech. She leaned lazily against the wall, and saw Jihoon shoot her an amused look from where he was seated. He was always far more perceptive than normal people. A few seconds later, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

From:  
You could grab a seat at the tables near the back  
There were some empty seats last I saw

To:  
And give up this view?

From:  
Interesting

She didn’t have time to ponder over Jihoon’s cryptic message as Soonyoung and Seungcheol stepped up to the podium, and the applause dimmed down. She fumbled with her phone for a while before holding it up towards the stage. The two of them took turns doling out the usual gratuitous messages to those who’d put in hours of manpower to make the mutual acquisition work, the tone of the speech solemn and somber, until Seungcheol looked to Soonyoung and gave him a smile.

“As someone who’s been friends with Soonyoung and the mysterious President for a while-“ the mention of the elusive Jeonghan had the guests tittering in excitement, “Let me say that this mutual acquisition has not only been a successful move for both our companies, it has also brought the three of us closer together, something that warms my heart every time I’m reminded of it.”

“Sentimental,” Soonyoung bantered lightly, earning them a bout of laughter from the guests. Even though their friendship may have taken a blow before its recent restoration, the bond between them was undeniable, the adoration shining in their eyes genuine as they grinned at each other. “But my friend here is right. I’ve always enjoyed rubbing our victories in his face-“ Soonyoung laughed at Seungcheol’s eye roll, and Jihyun smiled without realising it, his bubbling joy infectious, “but I must admit, it feels better to be able to toast to our victories together.”

“We’ll drink to our success. But let’s toast to our friendship as well.” The two men raised their glasses of wine, and the guests cheered and hollered as they followed suit.

Jihyun stopped the video recording on her phone, and shot the video over to Jeonghan.

From:  
I even got a honorary mention huh  
And he looks so hot

To:  
You know that there are two men in the video right?

Mr. Kim was at the waiting area, chatting with his colleagues whom Jihyun would be working together with tonight, and he looked up when Jihyun entered the room to the side of the ballroom. “Ms. Jung!”

Jihyun went over and bowed to the other volunteers, who hastily scrambled up from their seats to return the bow, before taking a tentative seat at the side of the group. “The speeches just ended,” she informed them. 

Mr. Kim nodded. “I suppose some of us should head out, though I doubt anyone would already be inebriated this early into the dinner. Nevertheless, we’ll go keep an eye out. Get some food before you join us, Ms. Jung. Perhaps those who aren’t going outside now can keep you company?” He shot a questioning glance towards the group of volunteers, and a few of them nodded. “Wonderful.”

“I’ll see you in a bit, then.” Jihyun got up along with the volunteers who were preparing to leave the waiting area, and headed over to the table groaning under the weight of an assortment of food to grab herself a plate. When she got back to her seat, four of the volunteers had stayed back, and she gave them a quick smile before quietly tucking into her food, all the while desperately wishing Jihoon could be there to keep her company, because dear lord, it was awkward. 

She’d just swallowed a mini cream-filled puff that had her wondering whether it would be rude to devour the remaining pieces on the food tray when one of the volunteers addressed her. “Ms. Jung.”

“Hmm?” The four of them were looking at her with an assessing glance that was all too familiar, and Jihyun wanted to let out a long-suffering sigh, knowing exactly what was coming.

“You graduated top of your year in law school,” one of them said, his eyes calculating.

Jihyun tilted her head to one side. “I suppose I did.”

“I wasn’t from your law school!” Another one piped up, “but we were in the same year, and I’ve heard about you from my classmates. Your academic records were seriously impressive.”

If that was a jab, it had been way off the mark. Jihyun smiled politely. “Thank you. I worked hard for my results.”

The man who had first spoken pulled her attention back to him. “For your current position as well, I suppose?”

Really? Jihyun wanted to ask, but instead replied blandly, “Is this an interview?”

The man shrugged. “Just saying. We’ve heard the rumours that you’re close with your head of department. Since we’re going to have to work together and all, I was curious as to whether you actually earned your position through your work, or...” He stopped there, but there was no doubt as to what he was insinuating. At least the other three had the decency to look embarrassed on behalf of their colleague, but neither of them spoke up, and Jihyun didn’t miss the flashes of curiosity and gleefulness in their lowered gazes. 

She smiled, but there was none of her usual warmth behind that expression. “Whom I sleep with is none of your business, Mr...”

“Hwang.”

“First time I’ve ever heard of you,” she told him casually, and she could see that her shot had hit the jackpot; the man flinched slightly as he tensed up. “I wonder how much that says about your work.” Jihyun set the plate down on the table and sent the rest a sharp gaze that could have withered a sunflower field in full bloom. “I do not give a damn if you choose to engage in baseless gossip during your free time. However, if you had listened to more rumours, you would have known that I do not tolerate insults when it comes to my work. Don’t expect me to show any mercy when we work together in the future.” With that, she sailed out of the room without looking back, leaving behind four pale faces who were already regretting their life decisions.

She was unmatchable when it came to doing her job, which had always given her an intimidating vibe that inspired fear and respect in her peers. Despite the rumours that she had slept with Jihoon for her files and promotions that never seemed to die down, she knew that most of her colleagues would never dare to disregard the efforts that she’d put into her job, and thus she’d never bothered addressing the rumours directly or kicked up a fuss over them.

But the blatant audacity of the man who wasn’t even part of her office and who had no idea how she was as a person to imply that she’d slept her way to where she was today... she couldn’t help it; she’d exploded, even if it was in a storm of ice rather than wildfire.

She’d be sending a quick message to Jihoon soon enough. But for now, she would have to satisfy herself with fantasies of crushing Mr. Hwang under her heels like a pesky bug if they ever crossed paths at work in the future. She still had a job to do, and to do well.

*****

With her arms around a woman decked in a glamorous sapphire blue dress, Jihyun spoke curtly into her earpiece as she carefully made her way over to the flight of elevators. “21, I’m sending a single woman up.” The crackle in her earpiece a few seconds later signalled a go-ahead from the woman in charge of the 21st floor, and Jihyun carefully leant the hardly conscious woman against the wall of the elevator carefully before pressing ‘21’ and stepping out, giving the woman one last pitiful glance.

Well, at least she wasn’t her problem anymore.

She wasn’t sure how many people she’d escorted into the elevators tonight; she’d lost count after the fifth person, a man who had been singing a lewd ballad at the top of his voice until Jihyun grabbed him and forcibly shoved him into an elevator headed for the 22nd floor. As Jisoo had predicted, there had been far too many guests who needed the free rooms provided. The 20th, 22nd, and 24th floors were already full, leaving them with four more floors where the number of available rooms were slowly dwindling as well. Luckily, the dinner was almost over, the ballroom and hallway left with only a few small groups of guests who’d chosen to stay longer to take advantage of the free-flowing alcohol, as well as to mingle around and make more contacts. She hadn’t seen Seungcheol nor Jihoon for a while; the last time she caught a glimpse of the two, they’d been talking to some important-looking men, presumably about business. 

A quick scan of the hallway told her that at least 90% the guests who were still here would definitely fail a breathalyser test - she fervently hoped that they had more sense than to drive home tonight - but none of them looked as though they needed a room. Just to make sure, she casually threaded through the crowd, making her way over to the other end of the hallway, which was where the waiting area for volunteers and the staff passageways were, thus much emptier and quieter than the area directly outside the ballroom. 

She popped into the waiting area to grab a cup of water, and was gulping it down when a voice spoke in her ear. “Ballroom clear for now,” Mr. Kim said. “Updates?”

“4 rooms left on 21st.”

“2 left on 23rd.”

“25th is now full, please send any other couples up to 26th.”

“Hallways clear for now,” Jihyun reported. 

“Alright. We’ll do one final sweep, and then we can relax for a while.”

Jihyun set down the now empty paper cup, and headed out of the room, only to nearly jump out of her skin when the potted plant by the door to her right rustled. Cautiously, she took a step forward and peered around the huge leaves, and blinked in surprise, quickly tapping her left earpiece once to disable it before speaking. “Soonyoung?”

Because that was indeed the CEO of Yoon Corporation, face flushed, eyes unfocused, sitting on the floor behind the plant, suit jacket beside him, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. Jihyun gulped involuntarily; she didn’t think she could handle a drunk but hot Soonyoung, not after months of not seeing him. But it wasn’t as though she had a choice. Sighing, she knelt down behind the plant, so that her face was level with his. “Soonyoung ah, are you drunk?” It took her a second, but she rolled her eyes at herself. “Of course you are. Where’s Hansol?”

“Office,” Soonyoung rapsed, and his hoarse tone had her desperately wishing someone else could come and take him off her hands, because try as she might to dislike Soonyoung for how he’d ignored her, she was most definitely not adverse to his attractions, and it was doing neither of them any good in this current situation. “Work.”

“I gathered that,” Jihyun muttered. “Can you wait for me? I’ll go get you some water.”

Soonyoung nodded, and Jihyun went back into the waiting area to grab two cups of water, all the while shooting furtive glances around to make sure that no one would suspect what she was up to. Soonyoung was an adult who could get drunk if he wanted, but the media would be merciless if they discovered that the man was drunk at his own dinner celebration, not to mention how his employees - or Seungcheol’s, for that matter - would take the news. Discretion was key.

“Here.” She handed the first cup to Soonyoung, who gulped it down thirstily. Satisfied, she handed him the second cup, which was demolished with the same enthusiasm. “Shall I call Hansol?”

“Work,” Soonyoung repeated, looking at her with a reprimanding glance, as though she hadn’t understood him the first time round. 

Biting her lip, she nodded. “I’ll call Seungcheol, then. He’s still around, I just saw him a while ago.”

Soonyoung was already shaking his head before she could finish. “Busy with clients and shareholders. Don’t.”

Then what was she supposed to do? “I can’t believe Hansol and Seungcheol let you drink that much,” Jihyun sighed, though it was out of worry rather than exasperation. “Shall I get you to one of the rooms upstairs? There are still some empty-“ 

Soonyoung shot out a hand and pulled her over to his side, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could squeak in shock. A moment later, she realised his reason for doing so; there were voices and footsteps approaching. Jihyun wasn’t sure if she was still breathing, praying fervently for the newcomers to enter the waiting area and not loiter outside, which would instantly give away their hiding spots. 

Luck was on their side; the footsteps and chatter died away as they disappeared into the waiting area. “Get some rest,” Mr. Kim’s voice boomed from her earpiece, and to her horror, she could hear him loud and clear from the waiting area, where he must be with the rest of the volunteers. Panicking, Jihyun pointed at the waiting area, and then at her earpiece, and Soonyoung seemed to have understood, nodding. But before Jihyun could ask if Soonyoung would remove his hand from her face, Mr. Kim was speaking again, this time his voice only coming from the waiting area - he must have disabled his earpiece as well. “I wonder where Ms. Jung is.”

“With that Mr. Lee from their department, maybe.” Unsurprisingly, it was the man from earlier - what was his surname already? Hong? - and a few murmurs arose in response to his comment. “Who knows, maybe they’re in one of the rooms upstairs.”

“Jaeseong,” Mr. Kim sighed. “Stop spreading rumours like this. We don’t even know if they’re true.”

“So what if they’re not? They’re rumours, not case precedents; I don’t need them to be true before spreading them. Besides, have you seen the looks they kept sharing throughout the dinner? I’ll bet you fifty thousand that they’re sleeping together.”

The urge to storm right in and smash her fist into the idiot’s face was immense, but she fought against it heroically. Mr. Kim’s voice floated out of the waiting area again. “Jaeseong, if she overheard you-“

“He said it straight to her face earlier,” a woman’s voice interrupted, and it was followed by a moment of silence where Jihyun imagined Mr. Kim staring incredulously at Jaeseong.

“You what? Jaeseong, are you so hellbent on committing career suicide?”

“She’s a junior counsel,” Jaeseong snorted. “You think anything could happen?”

“Jaeseong, you utter dumbass,” Mr. Kim hissed. “She’s one of the most-favoured counsels from Choi Industries. This junior counsel got two other counsels fired from their department only a few months ago, one of whom was a manager, and the other the daughter of one of their company’s shareholders, because there were cases of misbehaviour. Their HR department and Mr. Choi himself handled her case, and trust me when I say that there was no hesitation whatsoever in supporting Ms. Jung throughout the entire fiasco. If she reports you, you think you’re still going to have a job after this? You absolute dumbass.” His voice was full of disgust and frustration, and his ranting was followed by footsteps heading towards the door. Jihyun shrunk back against the wall, though she knew that so long as no one decided to peer around the shrub, they would be safe. 

“One final check for the night, and we’ll be done.” Mr. Kim’s voice rang again in her ear, and she could hear the rest of the volunteers shuffling out of the waiting area as well. She risked a peek through the branches, and counted nine figures retreating. Relieved, she sat back down, and tapped Soonyoung’s hand, which was still clamped over her face. The grip was gone instantly, and she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding in.

“I need to-“

“Was it true?” Soonyoung asked, his eyes much more alert than they were earlier, trained on her face with the intention of catching every single expression. 

Jihyun stared at him. “I’m not sleeping with Jihoon-“

“I meant the insult,” Soonyoung corrected her calmly. “This Jaeseong guy - he insulted you straight to your face?”

Oh. Jihyun sighed. “I guess so. It wouldn’t be the first time people assumed I crawled my way up the ranks by getting down on my knees. Frankly, I’m used to it. Besides, seeing their disbelieving expressions when I trounce them at work is extremely satisfying.” 

“It’s not right.”

“It’s not,” Jihyun agreed, her own eyes softening as she caught the indignant flare in Soonyoung’s fierce gaze. “But then, he’s not worth even a second of unhappiness. Don’t worry yourself over it.” Remembering why they were behind the potted plant in the first place, Jihyun got to her feet, wincing slightly at the prickling sensation shooting through her legs. “We still need to get you home. Either I can call you a cab, or I’ll get you a room upstairs.”

“I don’t want to go home,” Soonyoung said quietly, still sitting on the floor. Something in his tone had her crouching down to look at him again. And not for the first time, she wondered why she hadn’t already left him alone, hating the part of her that still cared, that wanted to wipe away the unhappiness evident in his clenched fists, in his pressed lips, in his averted gaze. 

“Soonyoung.” Oh, she definitely hated herself for still staying, even thought she knew they would go back to their own lives after tonight. “What’s wrong?”

She got a short, mirthless laugh in reply. “Everything is, Jihyun ah.”

“Don’t I know it,” Jihyun muttered, reaching out to place a hand on Soonyoung’s shoulder. But the casual gesture had Soonyoung flinching, and trying hard to hide away the prick in her chest, she let her hand swing back to her side, pretending that she hadn’t noticed, that she didn’t mind.

But she minded. God, did she disgust him?

Perhaps she did. 

“I’m sorry.” Murmuring an apology, Jihyun stood up again, gritting her teeth as she fought against a sudden wave of lightheadedness caused by the sudden flow of blood to her legs. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I’ll ask Jihoon to-“

“I hurt you.”

She stilled, stopping mid-ramble as she stared down at Soonyoung, whose face was tilted up to look at her from where he was still seating. Dear merciful lord, he was gorgeous, but she couldn’t handle him anymore. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t step forward towards Soonyoung anymore; it was that she couldn’t bear to get her heart torn into pieces whenever he stepped back from her. 

It was then she realised that despite the two months’ of absence from her life, Soonyoung was still someone she cared about, apparently too much for her own well-being. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. “Well,” she choked out, “this is a familiar situation.”

He seemed to have recalled that one night two months ago, where they had talked in the back of a noisy club in Jeju, where he had admitted that she was her type, only to leave her hanging for the next few months. “I want you,” he murmured.

Oh, God. “You don’t get to say that,” Jihyun whispered fiercely, feeling warmth pool behind her eyes. “Damn it, Soonyoung, you don’t get to say that, not after ignoring me for months.”

Soonyoung had managed to get onto his feet, and was standing in front of her, the toes of their shoes touching, his perfect Windsor knot in front of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

And it was that whispered apology, filled with so much desperation, sadness, and hopelessness, that tore a bloody gash in her heart. But she refused to let her tears fall, not in front of Soonyoung. Eyes shining, she looked up at him. “You know what? So am I.”

Before Soonyoung could say anything, Jihyun turned around and walked away, because damn it if she were the one left behind once again. And if she’d wiped away a few tears in the back of the dark cab, so be it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you need visual assistance, refer to Soonyoung in the centre of their black and white Bazaar magazine cover. God, the man is fine.
> 
> Also, I swear the angst is almost over. Almost.


	34. Chapter Thirty-Three

Jihyun hadn’t heard from Soonyoung since the dinner, and she could feel her mind laughing at her, complete with a sympathetic yet smug grin. What were you expecting, it taunted. Did you think that Soonyoung really wanted you?

The thing was, she really thought he did. 

She’d felt the spark between them, felt that unexplainable pull towards him that had always prompted her to keep her eyes on him, to be the one who noticed his small smiles at the most minor things like a passing butterfly, the one who could make him laugh and smile at her in a way that always tugged the corner of her lips upwards. 

Clearly, she had been mistaken, and Kwon Soonyoung was an asshole, albeit an extremely capable CEO. With a sigh, she rubbed her eyes and turned back to her laptop, which was open in front of the coffee table, an unfinished agreement onscreen. It was near two in the morning, but this was a sudden assignment that was due tomorrow morning - Jihoon had wanted to take on the file himself, but she’d literally wrestled the file out of his arms, knowing that he would have already had enough files to occupy his night at home - so here she was, sitting on the floor in the middle of her living room, slaving over her laptop while trying hard to fight the yawns threatening to bubble out of her. “You’re already more than halfway through,” she told herself, trying to sound as confident as her sleepy self could manage. “You can do this.”

But before she could continue her typing, her phone buzzed, signalling a call from an unknown number. Huh. Warily, she answered the call. “Hello?”

“Hello.” A voice that was strangely familiar yet eluded her fuzzy brain floated through the speaker. “Is this Jihyun?”

“Ye-yes. May I know who’s on the line, please?”

After the man on the other line explained, Jihyun let out a slew of curses that she had never, ever voiced out in person, and ended the call.

It was nearly three when Jihyun stepped out of the cab she’d managed to hail for an ungodly sum in front of Highlight. She hadn’t bothered changing out of her comfortable pyjamas, let alone slather on makeup, but none of the customers in the bar bothered giving her and her bright yellow sweater set more than a fleeting glance, too engrossed with the alcohol in their hands.

She stormed over to the bar, where Junhui was expertly pouring a bright blue concoction into a cocktail glass. He must’ve sensed her approaching, and eyes full of amusement looked up from the glass to look at her. “Jihyun.”

“Where is he?” She snapped, too tired and annoyed to bother with manners. Luckily, the man didn’t seem to have taken offence, his smile still in place as he jerked his chin towards the far end of the bar, where a figure was slumped over the bar top, an empty glass in hand.

But before she could go over and give the man a piece of her mind, Junhui called out to her. “Come, sit down and I’ll get you a drink. You must be tired.”

“No, it’s alright, I just-“

“Sit.” And there was some steel in the word this time, strong enough to have her obediently pulling a barstool out and plopping herself in it, despite the grouch in her desperately wanting to leave. Barstools were generally not her most preferred mode of seating; her height made it so that her legs would always be dangling in midair, unable to rest on the step, so she was relieved when her feet found purchase on a hollow strip carved into the bar. 

Junhui slid her a glass of transparent liquid, with a slice of lemon and a pink cocktail umbrella cheerfully planted in the middle. “It’s just water,” he assured in his gentle voice, and she picked up a subtle accent from his tone that had gone unnoticed for the past few conversations they’d had, which were extremely, extremely limited. Which brought her to the question:

“Why did you call me?”

Junhui leaned against the bar top, carefully polishing a cocktail glass with a rag. “I’ve seen him come in a few times with Seungcheol and Jihoon. I assume they’re friends?”

“You assume correctly.”

“He got sleepy around one; I’m just thankful he didn’t start stripping or getting into fights with people at the karaoke machine.” Jihyun winced at the thought of the headlines the next day - today - if Kwon Soonyoung had been found drunk and had started a bar fight in the middle of the night. “I was going to call Seungcheol,” Junhui continued in his soft tone, “but I noticed that he kept fumbling with his phone, and I wasn’t sure if there would have been someone else he wanted to call.”

Jihyun’s fingers stilled on the neck of the cocktail glass. 

“He had the messaging app on, and kept typing and deleting a message to you. He started when he was still sober, and continued even after he was completely gone. Type, delete, type, delete. I figured that it would be a better option to call you over to pick him up instead. Honest to God, I didn’t know that the ‘Jihyun’ saved under his contacts was the same Jihyun that came in a few times with Seungcheol.” Those eyes looked at her questioningly. “That being said, will you bring him home?”

She didn’t know, couldn’t think around the dull roaring in her head. He’d wanted to send her a text? She didn’t even know he had her number, though that was hardly the biggest unexplainable issue here. Soonyoung had wanted to text her?

Why hadn’t he?

“I can call Seungcheol instead,” Junhui was saying, doubt wavering in his eyes.

Jihyun had slid off the barstool and walked over to where Soonyoung was peacefully dozing off with his head on his arms, murmuring unintelligible words once in a while. His phone was beside his drink, and she picked it up, exasperation bubbling in her chest as she realised it wasn’t passcoded. “People would die to steal your phone, and you didn’t even bother with a lock screen password?” It opened up to the dial log, and sure enough, her own phone number saved under “Jihyun” was at the very top. And she knew that her next move would be a violation of Soonyoung’s privacy, but considering the fact that he’d been doing nothing but violate her emotions for the past week, she supposed - hoped - that it would be justifiable.

She exited the dial log, and clicked on the messaging app.

There was a message to her at the top, though the text read as ‘Draft’. She tapped in, and stared at the one line waiting quietly in the unsent chat box.

_ I want you. _

Jihyun sucked in a deep breath sharply, and before she could yell at herself to reconsider, she heard herself saying, “I’ll take him home.”

The guards at the gates had been surprised to see Jihyun get out of a cab at 4 in the morning in her pyjamas, but their eyes nearly fell out of their heads when they saw her literally dragging a tall man along with her. 

With Junhui’s help, Jihyun had zipped Soonyoung’s jacket up and tugged it over his mouth to serve as a makeshift disguise, and Junhui had also kindly volunteered to lend Soonyoung his black cap to hide more of his face.

“He’s just a CEO, not a celebrity,” Jihyun had muttered darkly while she lounged against the bar, watching Junhui carefully tuck Soonyoung’s hair under the cap.

“He’s the CEO of a multi-million conglomerate,” Junhui had said calmly. “That makes him as vulnerable as celebrities are.”

Vulnerable. Not a word that Jihyun would have chosen to describe Soonyoung, who had so much power within his grasp, who had always seemed untouchable and invincible. But looking at the half-awake man currently leaning unsteadily against the wall outside her doorway, trying to stay upright as she unlocked her door, she wondered if she was looking at the vulnerable side of Soonyoung that he had kept under lock and key, away from prying and inquisitive eyes of the public, away from the claws of people who would greedily exploit his weaknesses.

The door was unlocked, and she carefully guided Soonyoung into her apartment, taking care not to bump into any corners or sides, letting out a relieved huff when she finally managed to dump him onto her couch. He was blinking at her as he came out from his stupor, eyes owlish and confused, looking at her with childlike innocence. “Jihyun?” He mumbled, voice hoarse and scratchy. 

“Just like you to sleep through the important parts.” With an eye roll, Jihyun leaned down to pat his shoulder. “I’ll get you some water and aspirin, give me a moment.”

As Soonyoung obediently downed the pills and water, Jihyun could see that he was slowly coming back from the void that a whole night of alcohol had tossed him into, and was looking around her minimalistic apartment. His gaze stopped on the wall clock, and a furrow formed between his eyebrows. “It’s 4 in the morning,” he said dazedly. “Why am I in your apartment - this is your apartment, right?”

Jihyun leaned against the wall by the couch, but made no move to sit down beside Soonyoung. “Firstly, yes, it’s my apartment. Secondly, how kind of you to point out the ungodly time right now. Thirdly,” she scoffed, though there was no hardship behind it, “we really have to stop meeting like this.”

A groan bubbled out of Soonyoung’s lips as he recalled the dinner two weeks ago. “Sorry. You were probably asleep when - wait, why were you at Highlight?” He had sat up, and those eyes that had been haunting her thoughts for the past two weeks - perhaps the past two months, not that she would ever admit it - were on her, narrowed into an expression that said “explain yourself”.

Should she lie? She tossed away the idea the moment it popped into her brain. Soonyoung may not be at his peak functionality at that very moment, but she knew that his inbuilt lie detector would still be as sharp. Besides, she wasn’t the one who needed to be embarrassed by the truth. “Junhui - the bartender - called me,” Jihyun said, trying to keep her tone casual. “He saw that you were going to send a text to my number, so he called me from your phone when you were out and asked me to pick you up.”

It was as though shutters had been pulled over Soonyoung’s eyes; his face was wiped clean of any expression as he sat there, staring at her wall yet seeing nothing. Dread creeped into her own heart, and the devil on her left whispered tantalisingly, “Go on. Ask him.” The angel on her right was panicking, reminding her in a melodious tone that now was not the time for confrontations, that Soonyoung needed the rest, that nothing good could come out of 4am conversations. 

“You have my number but you won’t text me?” She heard the devil chuckle, satisfied with the outcome his coaxing had brought, while the angel groaned, a sad note of defeat. 

“Did you see the text?” Soonyoung finally spoke up, his voice barely a whisper. 

Don’t lie, she reminded herself. “You want me,” she said softly. 

Another short silence. “I do,” Soonyoung admitted flatly, no enthusiasm in his voice whatsoever. 

Go on, the devil prodded. Go on. “But why won’t you...” Jihyun struggled to find the right word to use, “It doesn’t seem like you even want to be friends, Soonyoung.” She hated that her voice had trailed off into a whisper, hated the uncertainty and hurt that were dancing to a tune in her heart, hated how Soonyoung still wouldn’t look at her. 

Soonyoung exhaled sharply, fists clenched by his side, eyes still staring forward. “Because I can’t be friends with you while my heart, my mind, my entire being is screaming at me to be more than friends with you,” he forced the words out past his gritted teeth, and shock jolted through her. “It physically hurt to look at you, only to remember that I can’t be with you that way. That no matter how much I want, I can’t. My life,” he pointed at himself harshly, “is not mine. It stopped being mine the moment I-“ He caught himself with a harsh intake of breath, and let loose a quiet sigh that had the anger and frustration ebbing out of him like a wave. He slumped back against her couch, looking weary and... vulnerable.

“You want me,” Jihyun said, and it was her calm tone that made Soonyoung look at her for the first time since he’d stepped into her apartment that night, eyes still void of emotion, but she was unfazed. “You want me,” she repeated.

“To the point where all I can do to get my mind off you is to drown myself in work,” Soonyoung said tiredly, hands coming up to tunnel through his hair. “I pity Hansol, but it was the only way I could distract myself from texting you. Do you know how many times in a day I’d type out a text to you, only to delete it? How many times I’d stare at the photos of us in Jeju, wanting to delete them forever but never quite managing to do so?”

Jihyun had walked over to the couch and sat down beside Soonyoung, legs folded as she faced Soonyoung. “But you can’t want me,” she said, the statement phrased as an unasked question.

“I can’t. I - I don’t think I could ever manage to just be your friend, Jihyun. I can’t settle for friendship, not with you. But we can’t date,” Soonyoung groaned, hands still tangled in his dark locks. “There would be nothing for us in the end.”

“What makes you think,” and her voice was soft, but it was steel and ice, a preview of the storm that was brewing underneath, “that I wouldn’t have settled for whatever I could get with you?” Soonyoung blinked at her uncomprehendingly, and she had to fight back a growl. “Damn it, Soonyoung! You put me through all this for, for - who gave you the right to make decisions for both of us, when we’re both involved in this?”

“You don’t deserve anything less!” Soonyoung had raised his voice, sparks emitting in his eyes as he retorted. “No one deserves someone who’d be giving them no guarantees, no future, nothing, for that matter! It’s not about me making decisions for us, it’s me doing-“

“What you thought was best for us? News flash: that’s you making decisions for us!” Utterly pissed off, she glared at Soonyoung, who was glaring right back, both of them locked in an angry face-off. The ridiculousness of the entire situation had her closing her eyes, counting to ten, and only opening them again when she was sure that she wouldn’t be snapping at Soonyoung when she opened her mouth next. It was a challenge of epic proportions, but she managed. “Soonyoung,” and if there was a hint of plea in her voice, so be it, “Have you ever thought about the fact that I want you so much, I’d take whatever we can get? I don’t mind if I can’t call you my boyfriend. I don’t mind if I can’t hold your hand as we go on dates where you show me your favourite spots.” A lump had started forming in her throat, and she continued hoarsely. “Soonyoung, all I want is you. As long as I can be with you, as long as I know that you’ll be there for me too, then I’ll be happy.” Something warm trickled down her left cheek, but she didn’t wipe the tear away. “Give us a chance. We could be happy together, damn it, instead of avoiding each other and moping around and annoying everyone around us. Please.” Her voice broke on the final word, but she didn’t move from her position, eyes still on Soonyoung, hands still lying quietly on her lap. 

“You deserve so much more,” Soonyoung breathed. “Someone to call you his girlfriend, someone to hold your hand tightly and shield you from the crowd as you go on dates. Not someone who you’d have to be in a nonexistent relationship with that no one else can know about. I want that for you, Jihyun ah. Even if I can’t be that person, I want all of that love and affection for you.”

Jihyun was shaking her head. “You idiot,” she said sadly. “All I want is you. But I have my pride; I’m not going to beg. Will you take the risk with me, and grab on to whatever happiness we can find, or will you take the safe route and find the way out of the misery you put yourself through alone? I’ll respect your decision, Soonyoung, regardless of what you pick. So choose.”

The silence was deafening, and Jihyun had to fight to tamper down the urge to fidget in her seat as she looked at Soonyoung, who seemed lost in his own torrent of thoughts, expression unreadable. She wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but there was a barrier between them that she couldn’t break from her side, so she kept her hands quietly on her lap as she waited with bated breath.

“I should go,” said Soonyoung quietly.

Oh.

“But I want to stay, as selfish as it makes me.”

_ Oh. _

*****

Jihyun had only just fallen asleep when her alarm went off. With a groan, she shot her arm out and blindly fumbled along her side table for her phone, unwilling to open her eyes, as though a few more seconds of shut eye would do her any good. Remembering the agreement that would be due in a few hours, she forced herself off the bed, and stumbled towards her bathroom.

She’d tugged on a white shirt and paired it with a beige skirt that hit mid-calf, and with her long hair blow-dried but still uncombed, she walked out to her kitchen, only to blink at the man already sitting at her dining table, a cup of what smelt like coffee in one hand and his phone in the other.

Right. Soonyoung had stayed over in her guest room after gently ushering her to her bedroom, insisting that they could talk about their... whatever it is more over breakfast. He was still in yesterday’s clothes, his black shirt tucked into his slacks in what fashion plate Mingyu would term “the French tuck”, hair casually combed back from his forehead, and Jihyun had to sternly remind herself not to drool over Soonyoung’s side profile. No drooling over the endearing upward slant of Soonyoung’s eyes, no drooling over the sculpted jawline, no drooling over how perfect he looked in general. Perfect, perfect, perfect, but no drooling.

“Good morning,” she greeted, and Soonyoung looked up from his phone to give her a smile, one so genuinely happy that she hadn’t seen it ever since they left Jeju. “How are you feeling?”

“I’ll survive. The aspirin and water from yesterday night - well, earlier this morning - helped.”

But Jihyun didn’t think she was surviving; how come no one had warned her about how sexy Soonyoung’s morning voice was, husky with a rich timbre and - oh, god, she was sounding like a lovesick teenager instead of a successful, independent, intelligent woman nearing her thirties. She really had to stop. 

Pretending that none of the above had ever happened, Jihyun went over to the kitchen counter to make herself a cup of coffee. “Glad to hear that,” she said, stirring the instant mix in her mug while bringing it over to her dining table, settling down in the seat opposite Soonyoung’s. He was looking at her with a spark of amusement and pure joy in his eyes, she couldn’t help laughing. “What’s got you looking so happy, Mr. Kwon?”

“Hmm, I like the sound of that,” he hummed, setting down his coffee mug to reach across the tabletop, and she felt her mind fizzle and short-circuit as his warm hand took hers and intertwined their fingers together. His grip was gentle but firm, a reassuring and comforting presence that banished all doubts and unhappiness that had lingered in her heart over the night, and her mouth curved up at the corners. “Thank you,” Soonyoung murmured. 

“What for?”

“For giving me a second chance I didn’t know I wanted so badly until you dangled it in front of me. For giving us a chance.” His thumb had started drawing small circles on the back of her hand, and she nearly choked on the mouthful of coffee she’d drank, internally heaving a sigh of relief when she managed to swallow the lifesaving drink instead of spewing it all over Soonyoung, whose smile was still there, but the light in his eyes had dimmed slightly. “It won’t be easy,” he said slowly, as though he was reminding himself why he had been so against the entire idea in the first place, “and I need to apologise in advance for any bit of hurt or unhappiness that I’m going to bring you along the way. I have to,” he said before she could interrupt. “Because this is me being selfish, and this is me reminding myself that there are always consequences to my actions. But can you promise me something, Hyun?”

The use of the nickname had her heart skipping a beat, but she kept her eyes steady as she looked into the pair of dark eyes filled with adoration yet shadowed by misery. She rubbed her thumb rhythmically along the base of Soonyoung’s thumb, and she felt him relax by a fraction. “What is it?” 

Soonyoung took a deep breath, and looked at her. “Whenever you’re unhappy,” he began, “whenever you’re hurt by whatever I do, tell me. Even if it was only for a millisecond, tell me. No matter what you do, no matter how good your intentions were, don’t keep it from me. Tell me, and even though I can’t promise I won’t do it again,” his fingers tightened around hers, “I’ll be there to apologise and comfort you every single time, to remind you that I’m so goddamn sorry but I’ll still be trying my best to make you happy. I know that makes me sound like such an asshole, and I know that it’s unfair that I can’t tell you what’s going on-“

“Young ah,” Jihyun interjected gently.

“You know what, this entire thing was wrong from the beginning.” Soonyoung was still engrossed in his own wave of regret and worry, and rambled on anxiously, “I shouldn’t have-“

“Mr. Kwon.”

It was the title that finally shut Soonyoung’s babbling down, and he blinked at her with a look of confusion on his face. Jihyun stood up from her chair, and tugged on their joined hands to signal that he should do the same. The bewildered look still in place, Soonyoung followed suit, only to be thoroughly surprised when Jihyun crossed the small space between them and rested her cheek against his chest, her free arm going around his waist. The tension was gone almost instantly; he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in, their difference in heights making it perfect for Soonyoung to rest his chin on top of her hair. They stood there silently for a while, enjoying their first embrace, savouring the feeling of how it was so new, yet felt like coming home at the same time.

“Young ah.”

“I like it when you call me Mr. Kwon,” Soonyoung said, voice muffled as his nose dipped down to nudge at her hair. 

“I’ll make sure Hansol knows that,” Jihyun said lightly, and it worked, tugging a reluctant chuckle from Soonyoung. “I like _us_.”

“Me too.”

“That’s a good starting point, isn’t it? I trust you, Young, so much that it scares me, because I’m acting on pure attraction and impulse alone. I barely know anything about you, and yet here I am, consenting to guaranteed unhappiness and hurt. Wait, hear me out,” she said as she felt Soonyoung flinch. “I’m going to keep my trust in you, and be content with whatever happiness you’ll bring me, all the while hoping I’ll make you just as happy.”

“I’m going to try my best. Believe that, if nothing else,” Soonyoung said in a low whisper.

“I do, Young. But I have one request.” She faltered for a moment as she collected her scattered bits of courage, and continued. “When the time comes, when we have to end this - whatever this may be - will you tell me the truth?”

She didn’t have to explain what ‘the truth’ referred to, knowing that Soonyoung understood perfectly. Perhaps it was bad luck for her to bring up their inevitable end, but she was a practical woman; she knew that whatever they were starting between them could never go on forever. All she wanted was an explanation when they reached their stop, and she would like to think that she deserved that much, at least.

And if the thought of being separated from Soonyoung, of him disappearing from her life altogether tore ridges in her heart, no one but her had to know. 

“I will.”

There they stayed, the shorter woman lost in her own wistful thoughts, blissfully unaware of the way the taller man was staring at the woman in his arms, only one coherent thought running through his mind:

I’ll make it work. Please wait for me. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The angst is over! Okay, at least the first part of angst is over. Here comes the fluff. Now that I’ve finally written Jihyun and Soonyoung together, the following chapters will not only be about them, they’ll be centred around the other couples I’ve mentioned in the tags as well. If you were here solely because of the ships, I’m sorry it took you 32 chapters to get here, but I swear you’ll get the content you want. 
> 
> If you’ve noticed, my updating style is dumping a whole lot of chapters all in one go after I’ve finished writing a part of the story, instead of regular updates. I have pretty important finals in March, so I may not be able to write so much and hence a potentially longer period of no updates, but I promise that I already have the whole plot in mind and I’m not going to ditch this fic. If you like what you’ve read up till now, do leave kudos or comments and subscribe/bookmark this fic! Thank you :)


	35. Chapter Thirty-Four

To:  
See you tonight?

From:  
Alright!

A minute after Soonyoung had set his phone down, a fond smile playing on his lips, his phone buzzed again.

From:  
Can’t wait, btw. ❤️

To:  
Me too. ❤️

A knock on his office door had him putting his phone down again, and he rearranged his facial expressions before he called out, “Enter!”

As expected, it was Hansol, solemn face in place, files in hand. “Mr. Kwon, the representatives from Network Logistics are here. I’ve settled them in the conference room, and we’re just waiting for you to start the meeting.”

Work first, date later. Soonyoung had to pinch himself to stop another smile from making an appearance before getting up from his chair and grabbing his suit jacket, casually draped over the back of his chair, the polished wood coat hanger in the corner sadly neglected for convenience’s sake. “Come on, then.”

An hour later, Soonyoung was shaking the hands of the representatives politely at the door to the conference room, only allowing a satisfied smirk to surface after the guests had been safely ensconced in the elevator heading to the ground floor. Hansol returned from sending the guests off, and grinned at the look on his boss’s face. “You’re happy, huh?”

“Take a guess, Hansol.” Soonyoung was hardly surprised with the outcome; he’d walked into the meeting room with brimming confidence that the representatives would agree to their terms, simply because he knew his company well, and knew that what they could offer Network Logistics would definitely sway them over to their side, even if they hadn’t come here with the intention of accepting the offer initially.

“They’re happy too, FYI,” Hansol reported as they made their way back to their offices. “Not surprising, considering the mutual benefits for both sides. I’m just surprised we weren’t their first choice in the beginning.”

“To be fair, the offer from Choi Industries was attractive in its own right too.” The competitive side of him was showing, and Soonyoung couldn’t help another smirk when he imagined Seungcheol’s expression of annoyance when he found out that Network Logistics had chosen to work with Yoon Corporation instead of Choi Industries.

Sure enough, his phone buzzed in his pocket when he reached his office, and Soonyoung’s smirk widened as he saw the caller ID. He showed Hansol his phone, and the younger chuckled. “Hey, Seungcheol.” Soonyoung pushed open the door to his office, and Hansol patted him on the arm before heading to his own. “What’s up?”

“I cannot believe you got Network Logistics.” Seungcheol grumbled, and Soonyoung laughed as he settled down in his chair, imagining that on the other line, his friend was doing the same. “Damn it, I thought I already had them in the bag. What did you offer them, Young?”

“Not more profit, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Soonyoung stretched lazily in his chair, his long lithe figure splaying out most un-CEO-likely behind his desk. “Just more liberty in their actions, though every move will still be monitored.” Money would always be a big motivating factor, but the freedom to make their own decisions would always be an attractive benefit to throw into the basket. 

Seungcheol let out a huff. “Right. But since your victories are, from now on, my victories as well, I’m happy for you, Young. Want to grab a drink tonight and celebrate?”

A warm smile bloomed on Soonyoung’s lips as he thought about his plans for tonight. Hands absently fiddling with his tie, he said, “Sorry, Cheol, rain check. There’s something I have to do tonight.”

“Alright,” Seungcheol said affably. “Bye, Young.”

“Bye.” Putting down the phone, Soonyoung hummed as he looked at his files, cracking his knuckles. Well, back to work.

Buzz. 

Soonyoung ignored his phone, focused on the meeting summary in front of him. 

Buzz.

Flipping to the next page, he continued reading down the paragraphs summed up in Hansol’s neat handwriting, hardly hesitating when he skimmed over the familiar shorthand Hansol often used. 

Buzz.

“Who on-“ Soonyoung froze as he saw that it was not a pesky message or call that could’ve waited until he finished reading his summary. It was his alarm, set for 6pm, a necessity that was meant to remind him that he wasn’t supposed to camp out in his office until past midnight like he always did. “Oh.” 

Frantically, he stuffed the half-read meeting summary and some other files that he wanted to review later tonight into his briefcase, and grabbed his coat before heading out the door. “Hansol,” he called out as he barged into the younger man’s office without knocking, giving poor Hansol a jolt that sent the pen on his hand flying halfway across the office, “I’m heading out. Don’t call me unless it’s urgent.”

Uncomprehendingly, Hansol stared at him. “But it’s-it’s-“

“Time for me to go,” Soonyoung finished his sentence for him. He fully understood his personal assistant’s confusion - since when did Soonyoung leave the office before the moon made its appearance? - but Hansol would have to get used to it. It was the first, but most definitely wouldn’t be the last. “See you tomorrow.”

Soonyoung sailed out of the office without looking back, leaving behind a flabbergasted Hansol surrounded by his messy stack of papers and his pen, still lying pitifully on the carpeted floor by the cupboard. “What?”

Across the city in Choi Industries, Jihyun was handing a file to Mingyu across the divider between them. “All good. Give it a final run through if you want, but I didn’t see anything that needed correcting.”

Tiredly, Mingyu scrubbed his face with his palms before taking the file. “Thanks, Jihyun. God, I’m so tired.”

Jihyun looked at her friend with concern in her eyes. She knew that Jihoon had been assigning more files to Mingyu recently to challenge the man out of his comfort zone, and the extra workload had obviously taken a toll on Mingyu; he still had his devilishly good looks, but there were smudges of grey under his eyes, and undeniable weariness was written on his face. But like the tough soldier he was, he hadn’t complained, not even once.

“Jihoon’s not trying to burn Mingyu out,” Jihyun had reassured an extremely worried Wonwoo when she visited the bookstore with Jisoo last weekend. “He and Mingyu both know that it’s an opportunity for Mingyu to impress the other managers, and it’s the fastest and most brutally effective method to secure a promotion.” She’d heard the rumours that new teams might be formed to take on the newer files acquired as a result of the acquisition, and new teams meant new managers. Naturally, every manager in the department wanted one of their own in those spots, and Jihoon was no exception.

Jihyun was a junior counsel, and as impressive as her track record was, the positions would be opened to senior counsels first and foremost, hence her lack of enthusiasm for herself towards the rumours. However, Mingyu had gotten the promotion to senior counsel a few months ago, and as fresh as he was, he definitely qualified for the position if he desired it. It was obvious that when the rumours were confirmed, Jihoon would be putting Mingyu’s name in the running for potential team managers; Jihyun didn’t need Jihoon to tell her that expressly. However, their department was the best of the best for a reason - Mingyu would be up against equally impressive candidates, and it wouldn’t be an easy fight. Which was why Jihoon’s plan was ingenious; the more files Mingyu could take on and close without showing any sign of breaking down, indirectly showing that he could definitely handle the pressure that the position would undoubtedly bring him, the better his chances at snagging a promotion. 

Wonwoo had sighed. “I know. I just wish he’d get some more rest. I haven’t seen him sleep in our bed for a while now; I doubt that he even sleeps anymore.”

“I’ll take care of him at the office, Wonwoo,” Jihyun had promised solemnly, and true to her word, she’d taken it upon herself to take care of Mingyu the way he always cared for her when she overworked herself. She’d brought him lunch from the cafeterias when deadlines chained Mingyu to his computer, made him coffee when she sensed that he needed the boost, and of course, spellchecked all of his agreements before they went up to Jihoon. It wasn’t only for Mingyu; it was for Wonwoo’s sake as well. 

The flashback reminded her that she had someone that was waiting for her care and attention, but she wasn’t going to leave the office until she was sure that Mingyu would be okay. “Do you want to work on the rest from home?” Jihyun suggested gently. “I’m sure Wonwoo would find it a fresh change to have you home early, even if you’re going to work for most of the night.” Mingyu pursed his lips, and Jihyun prodded harder. “Come on, Gyu, you and I both know work can be done from home. Wouldn’t it be nice to collapse straight into bed after finishing up your last file of the day?”

A grunt of assent from Mingyu had her giving herself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. However, she froze for half a millisecond when Mingyu asked, “You’re leaving early too?”

“It’s 6pm, and last I checked, office hours ended at 5,” Jihyun replied as casually as she could muster, grabbing her bag and leaning against the divider to wait for Mingyu. After a few unfruitful attempts of trying to stuff the huge stack of files he needed into his briefcase, Mingyu resigned himself to carrying them in one hand and jerked his head towards the doors in a “come on” gesture.

“The Jihyun I know treats the office as her second home-“

“Considering the amount of time I spend here, it might as well be,” Jihyun said agreeably, waving goodbye to some of their colleagues still at their desks.

“And hardly ever leaves early, ‘early’ being before 7pm.” Mingyu jabbed the ‘down’ button by the elevators, and looked at her suspiciously. “Do you have plans tonight?”

Yes? No? “Yes,” she said simply, deciding that lying wasn’t going to get her anywhere except having to come up with more and more lies. Luckily for her, before Mingyu could ask what her plans were, the elevators dinged and with some difficulty, they squeezed themselves into the almost-full elevator, heaving equally relieved sighs when the elevator didn’t beep to signal an overload. 

The moment the elevator doors slid open on the ground floor, Jihyun was hotfooting it out of the building with only a quick “see you tomorrow!”, leaving behind an utterly confused Mingyu who stood where he was for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around the uncharacteristic behaviour of his friend, until someone politely tapped him on the shoulder and reminded him that he was blocking the turnstiles. “Oh, sorry.”

*****

Jihyun had just set down the bags of takeaway she’d hurriedly picked up from the small eatery around the corner on her kitchen counter when her doorbell rang. She wasn’t sure if she’d ran or skipped her way over to the door, but she was there, and there he was, the man who’d been on her mind for the entire day, beaming at her over a bouquet of roses in full bloom. Wordlessly, she stood aside to let Soonyoung in, and the moment the door was shut behind him, she was enveloped in a warm embrace from the back that smelled of roses, and Soonyoung’s cologne, a woody scent with an underlying hint of fruit...was it blackberry? She wiggled around until she was facing Soonyoung, and wrapped her arms tightly around the man, getting on her tiptoes slightly to rest her chin on Soonyoung’s left shoulder. “Hello,” she breathed.

“Hello, jagiya.” She felt Soonyoung’s arms tighten around her waist, and couldn’t help but snuggle deeper into the embrace, revelling in the feeling of how the weariness from a day of work just melted away while she was in Soonyoung’s arms, and wondered if Soonyoung felt the same way. 

“I haven’t even taken a shower.” Jihyun said ruefully, and Soonyoung let out a noncommittal hum as he nosed at her hair. He obviously didn’t find it an issue, but she wanted to wash off the ick and grime before she got anywhere near Soonyoung again. With some regret, she slowly detached herself from Soonyoung and gave him a bashful smile, which he returned with one of his own, and she was lost for a moment as she just stared at how his eyes lit up so beatifically when he smiled, how the fluffiness of his cheeks was enhanced-

“Jagi?”

That snapped her out of her pink bubble, and she cleared her throat awkwardly. “Right. Er, can you give me a moment to grab a quick shower? I promise I’ll be quick.”

“Take your time.”

After Jihyun disappeared into her bedroom, cheeks still flushed with a shade of red that he doubted she’d realised - which he found adorable as heck - Soonyoung set down the bouquet carefully on the kitchen counter, before settling his eyes on the takeout bags. 

“You really didn’t have to,” Jihyun chided as she sat down at the dining table, though there was no hint of disapproval in her tone. In her T-shirt and lounge shorts, any traces of makeup removed, she didn’t look like a stern counsel anymore, but looked like someone who was going to enjoy staying in for the night.

“I just took out the food from the takeaway bag and set the table.” Tie long removed and stuffed away in a pocket of his blazer, which was currently hanging on the coatrack by the door, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, top two buttons loosened, Soonyoung was relaxing in the chair across hers, amusement dancing across his face. “Where’d you get the food?”

“From a place right around the corner. Their food’s pretty good, but fair warning: anything that I find edible is ‘good’ to me. Let me know how it is after you try it.” Jihyun placed a piece of bulgogi on top of the bowl of rice in front of Soonyoung. “Also, I asked for extra kimchi, so eat up.”

Soonyoung needed no further prompting, and started on his food. It was pretty good, good enough that he would definitely revisit the place for its seolleongtang alone.“Why’d you ask for extra kimchi?” He asked in between bites.

“I assumed you had an unhealthy obsession with kimchi; you always asked for refills when we were at Jeju,” teased Jihyun.

He shouldn’t be surprised; he had always known that the caregiving, nurturing part of Jihyun always picked up on tiny details like this without any of them needing to say it out loud in the first place. He would bet the watch on his left wrist that if he were to ask, she could effortlessly list down the dishes that their friends preferred, who could tolerate spicy food and who couldn’t, who had allergies or particular dislikes, and their drink orders, be it alcoholic or otherwise. But it was still a pleasant surprise to find that someone cared for him enough to take note of his preferences. 

The dishes were cleared fairly quickly over chats of how their day had went, and after washing up together, they sat down on the couch, one on each side with a gap between them, hands on their laps awkwardly, while ‘what do we do?’ neon signs blinked above their heads. With a sigh that was half a groan, Soonyoung remedied the distance between them by reaching out an arm and tugging his companion over to his side. “Why are we so bad at cuddling?” He wondered as Jihyun comfortably settled herself against Soonyoung’s chest. 

A chortle. “You do realise we haven’t had any practice?”

Right. “Let’s practice more then,” Soonyoung said, engrossed in the feeling of having the woman he cared about curled up like a kitten in his arms, no walls or barriers between them. Reaching up, he started running his fingers gently through her hair, and she snuggled closer. They just stayed where they were, quietly enjoying the moment, enjoying each other. “You moved in a few months ago,” Soonyoung said.

“Yeah, right after we got back from Jeju. That was my first night here.” Jihyun said absently, mind already sinking into the fuzzy state of bliss from the rhythmic stroking of her hair. It was a simple gesture with no heat behind it, but the intimacy of it was just as satisfying and fulfilling. “Jeonghan got me the unit. Does Yoon Corporation own the building?”

“No, but we did purchase most of the units here when the developers launched the residence. Investment,” Soonyoung explained. “Some have been sold over the years, and we rent out the rest, yours included.” He’d discreetly pulled up the file on this particular residential building upon finding out that Jihyun was staying here to see if... their tenants needed any assistance, but she didn’t need to know that. She definitely didn’t need to know that he’d bolstered up the security measures as well; more CCTVs were to be installed, and the current dual-layer security access was going to be upgraded to a triple-layer system. It was for their tenants, he told himself firmly. Most definitely not because he was worried for her safety. It was a contributing factor, sure, but the other tenants were his main priority. Right. Time to switch tracks. “Why did you move here?”

The figure in his arms stiffened, and he grimaced. “Sorry, was that a wrong question to ask? It’s fine, you don’t-“

“No, no, calm down,” Jihyun reassured in a soothing tone, though he could detect a slight strain hidden beneath. “The question just caught me by surprise, that’s all. But I was already planning on telling you anyway.” To his utmost disapproval, she disentangled herself from his embrace, choosing to sit beside him instead so that he could see her face, where insecurity and sadness were engaged in a battle. “Just...” Jihyun struggled with the words, fingers tapping a nervous rhythm against her shorts, “Just listen to the entire story before you say anything, okay?”

The ache was still there as she recalled the memories, the good and the bad. But it had been dulled by time, the sharp edge now blunt, only scratching weakly at the scars which used to be bloody, gaping wounds in her heart. She started from their first dinner together, moving on to when they moved in to their old apartment, and the realisation that the both of them had been so happy with each other before everything went downhill was oddly comforting. She talked about her long hours at work and her tendency to forget dates, talked about the fateful night at 247, talked about how she had been relieved when Chan started being more accepting of her job, only to realise that it was because he already had someone else to fill up the space she’d left. She talked about taking on extra work to shoulder the rent on the apartment, talked about the fight over the bouquet, talked about coming back from the conference to find that her relationship had long been in shambles, just waiting for the right moment to collapse. 

Soonyoung, as promised, never said a word. He’d kept his hand in hers, but he showed no outward emotion as she spoke, the constant warmth on her hand grounding her, reminding her that Soonyoung wasn’t there to judge, but only to listen.

“It was difficult, being the one left behind,” Jihyun said quietly. “When I woke up in the mornings, I’d wonder why the bathroom sink looked so empty, only to realise there was only my toothbrush left. I tried sleeping in the middle of the bed, only to lie there awake for hours, unused to how huge the space was, giving up and going back to sleeping on my side in the end. But Jihoon? He was the one who caught them in his bed, and before Seungcheol found him his new apartment, he outright refused to step foot in his old apartment, staying at Seungcheol’s instead. He didn’t go back, not even to pack; Seungcheol had to send people over to pack everything for him. We’re drastically similar, and it has its pros and cons. I knew exactly how he felt, but neither of us wanted to confront it, and both of us submerged ourselves with work instead. My efficiency was top tier during that period.

“But everything has a breaking point, and we weren’t the exception. Jeonghan suggested a trip to Jeju for us to heal, and with Seungcheol ordering us to file for leave, we didn’t have much of a choice but to go along with it. And that’s it, I suppose.” A wave of tiredness washed over her. “That’s the whole story.”

“Can I make a bold guess and assume that you blamed yourself for the break up?” was Soonyoung’s first question.

Jihyun mulled it over for a while before answering. “For a while, yes. But after that, I realised that I would be an idiot if I blamed myself for my boyfriend cheating on me. I should’ve worked out a balance between work and my personal life, that much I admit, but the cheating part? That’s all on him. I’m dumb, but not that dumb.”

Her snort at the end tore out a chuckle from Soonyoung’s chest. “I wholeheartedly agree.” His thumb had started drawing circles on the back of her hand again, a quiet gesture Jihyun had grown to love. “Jagiya, I’m sorry you had to go through that. And if it gave you trust issues, I’m fairly sure that our... situation isn’t helping at all.”

Jihyun gave him a look filled with amusement. “Trust issues? Young, you’ve been watching too many dramas. It’s not something I would want to experience again, but ‘trust issues’ is taking it a tad too far. The majority - scratch that, the entirety - of my friend circle is made up of men whom I know would never act this way towards their partners. My conditioning just doesn’t allow me to lose all faith in men just because of one unhappy bump in the road. And our ‘situation’?” She leaned in closer, feeling a jolt of satisfaction when Soonyoung’s pupils widened in surprise and... was that anticipation she saw? “I like our ‘situation’,” she murmured, keeping their gazes together. “Granted, it’s not ideal, but I get to spend more time with you, get to see you smile, get to be the one who makes you smile. I get to experience firsthand how your hugs feel, get to hold your hand, and best of all, I get to do this-“ she touched the tips of their noses together lightly, and upon getting a sharp intake of breath in response, leaned back and returned to her original position, biting hard on her inner cheek to stop herself from grinning as she looked at Soonyoung. “So does that answer your question, Mr. Kwon?”

She wasn’t sure if Soonyoung was breathing, but he must’ve been alive, because he answered hoarsely, “I suppose it does, jagiya. But I have another one.” Without warning, his arms had snaked around her, and a quick tug had her half-seated on his lap, their faces less than an inch away from each other’s. Jihyun’s surprised “oof!” trailed away as fast as it came as she looked into Soonyoung’s eyes, and this time, she was a hundred percent certain that it was anticipation boiling under his intense gaze, coupled with wicked amusement. She couldn’t help it; a giggle burst out from her lips. “Funny?” Soonyoung murmured, and Jihyun thought that given time, she would most definitely be meticulously savouring and dissecting Soonyoung’s low voice, but not now. 

“A little.” Soonyoung leaned in closer, closer, until she felt his warm breath fanning over her lips. Instinctively, her eyelids fluttered shut, and the moment she closed her eyes, the warm, overbearing presence disappeared. Her eyes flew open to glare at a smirking Soonyoung, who was now leaning back against the couch, though his arms were still loosely wrapped around her. “Young-“

“Hmm?”

Jihyun felt like sulking, but reined it in at the very last moment. Two could play at this game. She wouldn’t deny that she wanted to feel Soonyoung’s lips on hers, but she wasn’t in a rush. If Soonyoung wanted to tease, she’d make sure that he’d find himself caving in and surrendering first. So she asked, “Are you going to Jeonghan’s birthday party next week?”

She could see that the casual question had thrown Soonyoung off-kilter for a moment, but he was quick on his feet, recovering almost instantly. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He didn’t add that he’d missed out far too many of those, the thought bringing a slight pang to his heart. 

“I wonder if Seungcheol will regret volunteering his penthouse for the party.”

“Cheol would regret nothing when it comes to Han.” Catching Jihyun’s surprised glance, he raised an eyebrow. “What? I may have been absent for the past few years, but the way Cheol looks at Han hasn’t changed.”

“What way?”

“Like Han’s his entire universe.” Soonyoung stroked her hair absently, and she leaned her head on his shoulder, content. “I’m certain that he’s in love with Han, he’s just too dumb to see it himself. I can’t wait for the day to come where the realisation hits him like a brick in the face.”

Meanwhile, the two men in question were having themselves a jolly good night at Highlight, both of them happily buzzing on the alcohol high, identical dopey grins on their faces. 

“Cheollie,” Jeonghan said as he propped his head on his elbows, looking up at Seungcheol with a wild glint in his eyes. “let’s go dance.”

Seungcheol groaned as though the mere idea of dancing hurt him. “Can’t, Hannie. Room’s spinning. Don’t think I can stand up.”

A pout formed on Jeonghan’s lips. “But you’re such a good dancer, and I want-want you to dance with me. Like we did that night.”

“Not the pout,” Seungcheol begged. “Please, Hannie, anything but the pout.” Choi Seungcheol, the head of one of the biggest conglomerates in the country, was absolutely defenceless against his best friend’s pouts. 

“But Cheollie...”

Behind the bar, Junhui rolled his eyes at their antics, and pulled out his phone to send a quick text to Jihoon, who had given him his number just for the sole purpose of having someone lug drunk Seungcheol - occasionally accompanied by drunk Jeonghan - back home. 

“It was such a good night,” Jeonghan said sadly, closing his eyes as he started to doze off on the table, surrounded by empty glasses and mugs of all shapes and sizes. “Good night.”

“What was a good night?” Seungcheol asked, his voice slurring. 

“Night we went to the club,” Jeonghan murmured, eyes still closed. “Night we went home. Love you, Cheollie.”

And if it wasn’t obvious enough that God had favourites and one of them wasn’t Jeonghan (God must’ve decided that giving the man unearthly good looks was already unfair enough for the rest of the general population), pounding drums and bass blared through the speakers right after the word ‘club’ and ended after the word ‘home’. So all Seungcheol said in reply was “Love you too, Hannie” as he ruffled his best friend’s golden hair fondly. And for good measure, added a louder “Love you too” after his first drunken declaration of love.

Oh, god.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Five

Jeonghan whisked into Spring with a frazzled look marring his angelic features. “Kwan, how are the orders going?”

By the workstation, Seungkwan didn’t even flinch, his steady hands gingerly arranging tiny daisies in between hydrangeas a shade of gorgeous baby blue tinted with lavender. “I’m nearly done with the last one.” Four other bouquets of various shades and sizes were already sitting quietly in the box by the door, waiting to be delivered to their respective recipients. 

“Good. Good,” Jeonghan repeated absently. “I need to-“

“Hyung.” Seokmin walked in through the doors and gave Jeonghan a meaningful stare, and Seungkwan lifted an eyebrow when Jeonghan returned a baleful glare before disappearing up the stairs. 

“What was that all about?”

“That,” Seokmin said calmly as he went over to help Seungkwan hold up the bouquet so that he could finish off the bow, “was Jeonghan hyung going out for drinks yesterday night and conveniently forgetting that he has paperwork due in two hours.”

Chuckling, Seungkwan shook his head as he tugged at the ribbon and adjusted the bow. “With Seungcheol hyung, I suppose?”

“Mm. Jihoon hyung had to pick the both of them up from the bar and send them home.” Seokmin had found his boss’s unit empty this morning when he arrived to pick him up, and it was only after some sleuthing that he realised that Jihoon had likely unceremoniously dumped his two friends in one unit, namely, Seungcheol’s. The man had been half-asleep when he opened the door, tufts of hair sticking up in all directions, stubble forming a light shadow on his face, and had merely grunted and jerked a thumb towards the bedroom when Seokmin politely explained his reason for waking Seungcheol up at 8 in the morning. 

Seokmin managed to hold his tongue in his cheek when he saw that Jeonghan was snoozing in Seungcheol’s bed, facedown on the navy blue silk, lost to the world, and one quick look at the other side of the bed confirmed that Seungcheol must’ve slept beside him for the night. Without waiting for Jeonghan to wake up - which, Seokmin knew by experience, would take far too long - Seokmin merely sat down by the bed, and tugged Jeonghan onto his back. Seungcheol hadn’t even blinked at the sight of Seokmin piggybacking Jeonghan out of his room, and had even given him a warm “goodbye” before closing the door behind them.

After he’d let themselves into Jeonghan’s unit, and had firmly shoved his still-snoozing boss under the showers - he’d made sure that the water was warm, at least - Seokmin hadn’t brought up the issue of Jeonghan sleeping with Seungcheol. Instead, he’d reminded a scowling Jeonghan of the paperwork that Seokmin had to deliver to Yoon Corporation by noon, because Soonyoung would need them for a meeting later today. 

So here they were. 

An hour later, Jeonghan stomped back downstairs and handed Seokmin a sealed brown envelope with the necessary documents inside. “Done, you slavedriver,” he grumbled. Unfazed, Seokmin merely sketched a quick bow before heading out the door. “Who’s the boss?” Jeonghan muttered as he leaned against the counter. 

“You are, hyung,” Seungkwan replied cheerfully from where he was spritzing some blooming tulips. “That’s why you have Seokmin to make sure that you don’t mess up, coz, you know, you can’t afford to.”

Jeonghan let out a sigh, and grabbed his own spray bottle. “No Seokmin appreciation conversations at 11 in the morning, Kwan.”

“Sorry, boss. I’ll try again in the afternoon-yah! Hyung!”

“It’s just water-yah, Boo Seungkwan!”

When Seokmin finally returned and caught sight of his colleagues dripping from head to toe as they silently mopped the floor, he could only manage a sigh.

*****

To:  
I’m downstairs.

From:  
I’m packing up! Sorry

To:  
Don’t rush, what if you fall?

“I will have you know,” Jihyun declared as she slid into the shotgun seat, “that I am an expert in running around in heels.”

“Never doubted it,” Soonyoung said loyally as he pulled out of the parking slot and drove down the street. 

“There wouldn’t have been any falling if I’d chosen to rush,” Jihyun emphasised, and even though Soonyoung’s eyes were on the road, he could hear the grumpiness in her tone. He stifled a laugh, and nodded.

“Of course, jagiya. But it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. I don’t want you getting injured.” They stopped at a red light, and Soonyoung reached over to Jihyun with his right hand, which was almost instantly enveloped by a now-familiar warmth. “I missed you,” he murmured, savouring the feeling of their linked fingers. 

“We just saw each other a few days ago,” Jihyun reminded him, though he could detect an equal sense of longing under the teasing. “But... I missed you too.”

The light turned green, and despite Jihyun’s protests, he kept his hand where it was, pointing out that it was a straight stretch of road where he could definitely handle the wheel singlehandedly. Eventually, Jihyun gave in, though not without an exasperated huff. In the dim lighting, she missed out Soonyoung’s satisfied grin, a reflection of the quiet joy in his heart.

They easily found a parking slot near their destination, and Jihyun reluctantly let go of Soonyoung’s hand so that they could get out of the car. Winter was approaching, and she unconsciously wrapped her coat tighter around herself as a gentle but icy breeze caressed her cheeks and blew back her untied hair from her face.

When Soonyoung walked around the car to her side, she instinctively reached out a hand to hold Soonyoung’s again, only to have the man hesitate before sliding both of his hands into his coat pocket, a fathomless look in his eyes as he looked away. Awkwardly, she let her hand drop.

Right. They were in public. She’d prepared for this, accepted the reality, but when she came face-to-face with it, it still stung. “Shall we?” Jihyun asked lightly, sliding her hands into her own pockets, trying to ease the tension in the air. Without waiting for Soonyoung to reply, she strode towards the first destination on their list, not seeing Soonyoung take a deep breath to compose himself before he followed in her footsteps.

The bakery was the one Jisoo had once gotten them chocolate cakes from, and Seungcheol had been adamant in ordering Jeonghan’s cake from the same bakery, insisting that Jeonghan “deserved nothing but the best”, which was why Jihyun had promised to run this errand for him. Soonyoung had offered to accompany her when she’d informed him about her plans for tonight, and she would’ve been a fool to turn down his offer. Though in retrospect, she hadn’t expected their first public outing together as... whatever they were to be such a bittersweet one.

Focus, she scolded herself. You already knew this was how it was going to be. “Yes, that’s the one I want,” she informed the employee behind the counter, who nodded eagerly as she scribbled down the order on a notepad. 

“Would you like anything written on it?”

Her phone rang in her pocket, and she gestured to the employee to wait for a moment as she pulled it out, only to see Seungcheol calling her. With an eye roll, she turned towards Soonyoung, who had been quietly waiting beside her by the counter as he examined the staggering amount of mouthwatering pastries and cakes on display. “Can you think of something to write on the cake for Jeonghan? I need to take this call.” Soonyoung stepped up to the employee to take over the pen and notepad, and Jihyun went over to the door. “Seungcheol?”

“Have you gotten the cake?” 

“I would’ve already concluded the transaction if you hadn’t called,” Jihyun replied dryly. “Cheol, it’s a cake. I know how to buy a cake. I know what cake I’m supposed to buy; you’ve sent me tons of the same screenshot, remember?”

Seungcheol ignored the exasperation in her tone, and pressed forward. “Decorations?”

“Next stop.”

“I have high hopes for you,” Seungcheol said imperiously. “Don’t let me down.”

“Watch me order tacky penis balloons and hire Bobo the Clown,” Jihyun muttered, and the last thing she heard was Seungcheol’s horrified squawk before she ended the call.

Whipped. Absolutely whipped.

Pocketing her phone, she walked back to the counter to see the young girl staring at an oblivious Soonyoung with stars in her eyes. An irrational surge of possessiveness prompted her to grab Soonyoung’s hand and glare at the girl, but she suppressed it. He’s not yours, remember?

Instead, Jihyun just coughed gently to get the girl’s attention. “Has he written down the message?”

“Yes!” God, she even sounded far more chirpier than she had been earlier. “So that’ll be 100,000 won, and you need to pay at least half first for us to record your order.”

Jihyun nearly choked when she heard the price, but didn’t hesitate when she handed over Seungcheol’s card. Who was she to stand in the way of true love, even if the person paying was still blind towards his own feelings? “Just charge the full sum to this card.”

“Right away!”

“I wonder if Seungcheol knows how much the cake cost,” Soonyoung wondered out loud as they exited the bakery into the brisk cold night, the employee cheerfully greeting them both a nice night. 

Jihyun snorted. “If he did, he’d probably still find it not worthy enough for his precious Hannie. It’s so frustrating watching him go to such lengths to make Jeonghan happy, yet the thought that he might be in love with Jeonghan hasn’t occurred to him.”

“Must it be the romantic kind of love?” Soonyoung hummed, no heat in his tone, only pure curiosity. “Perhaps Seungcheol loves Jeonghan, just in a platonic manner. He wouldn’t hesitate jumping in front of a bullet for Jeonghan, but brothers in arms with no romantic relationship between them would have the same dynamics.”

“If Seungcheol or Jeonghan were sick, would you threaten to shut down the entire hospital if the doctors failed to save them?”

Baffled, Soonyoung nearly tripped over his own feet, before steadying himself with the arm that Jihyun had generously held out for him. “I wouldn’t. Please don’t tell me-“

“Uh huh.”

Soonyoung let out a snort. “Whipped.”

Jihyun pointed a finger at him. “That’s what I said. And for your information, Jeonghan was only having a mild cold.”

“Fair point.”

After settling everything else at the decorations shop a few doors down, Jihyun leaned against a lamppost by the pavement and called Seungcheol to assure him that she had chose classy and tasteful balloons as per Seungcheol’s requests, and that she had not given into the temptation to order phallic-shaped balloons, nor had she hired a clown to sing children’s tunes while donning a red nose. And yes, she would be returning Seungcheol’s card tomorrow without swiping it for her own benefit, because she was a good and responsible friend, and also because she would very much like to remain in employment. 

When she finally ended the call, she couldn’t help but heave a sigh of relief. She was certain that Seungcheol had never even been this demanding when it came to her work. Looking up, she realised that Soonyoung wasn’t anywhere to be seen on the deserted pavement. Had he walked back to the car to wait for her? Confused, she started to walk in that direction, only to hear the soft chime of bells and see Soonyoung walk out of the bakery, a paper bag in hand.

Catching her half-exasperated smile, he grinned sheepishly and held up the bag. “Dessert?”

*****

From:  
Please give me motivation to not drown Seungcheol in the bathtub

To:  
(photo attached)  
Is this enough motivation for you to stay out of jail?

From:  
I’ll take it  
Please tell me you’re wearing that later

To:  
Yeah  
I’m going to pick up the cake now

From:  
Drive safely alright  
See you  
❤️

As Soonyoung stepped through the front door of what the men dubbed Seungcheol’s ‘playhouse’, sophistication and class literally oozing from him despite the extremely simple outfit of a dark sweater and pants, a large cake box in hand, Jihyun realised with no little dread that her biggest challenge of the night wouldn’t be trying to resist strangling Seungcheol as he fussed over every single detail of the party, from the balloons to the frosting on the cupcakes. No, it would be looking Soonyoung in the eye while hiding the fact that she wanted nothing more but to be able to hold his hand in front of everyone they cherished present tonight.

She closed the door carefully behind Soonyoung before meeting his eyes, only to see playful amusement dancing in his eyes. “Hi,” she greeted, as casually as she could muster. “No present?”

“Maybe it’s in my pocket.” Soonyoung murmured as he leaned closer, and Jihyun’s breath caught in her throat. “Do you want to-“

“Soonyoung! You’re here!” A loud bellow from Seungcheol nearly had her jumping out of her skin, but Soonyoung showed no sign of surprise, calmly turning around to greet Seungcheol. “Oh, you got the cake! Thanks, Soon.”

“Anything for Jeonghan.” The two men kept up a steady stream of chatter as they disappeared down the hallway, and Jihyun used the moment to catch her bearings. Damn it, now wasn’t the time for her heroic self-restraint to desert her. If they were discovered, they wouldn’t only be facing the consequences of having kept them to themselves - there was something far bigger at stake, and she couldn’t risk it, couldn’t risk Soonyoung getting harmed in any way just because she’d slipped up.

Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her pants, and the worry in her chest was replaced almost instantaneously by the urge to dropkick Soonyoung down two flights of stairs. 

From:  
Jagi, am I really that irresistible?

Kwon Soonyoung who?

The doorbell rang, and Jihyun made sure that her eyes were no longer narrowed into slits with murderous intent shining through them before she turned around to open the door, doing a double take when she saw the tall man standing there, a tall package cradled carefully in his arms. “Oh, hello.”

“Hello,” Xu Minghao greeted calmly, unfazed by her surprise. “Jeonghan invited me.”

“Of course. I’m sorry, where are my manners?” Hastily, Jihyun stepped aside to let him enter. Before she could offer to put his present away for him, Jeonghan had already appeared in the hallway and was asking whether Minghao’s drive here had been smooth, while Minghao answered in his quiet tone as he looked at Jeonghan with such gentle affection that made Jihyun feel extremely out of place.

Jeonghan was asking him about the package in his hand when another voice joined the fray, deep and wary. “Minghao?”

Oh. Oh, oh, oh.

Seungcheol was standing by the doorway to the kitchen, curious eyes looking from Minghao to Jeonghan, who was clutching onto Minghao’s right arm. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“Seungcheol,” Minghao greeted with a small nod of his head. “Jeonghan invited me. I hope that’s alright.”

“Of course,” said Seungcheol, though Jihyun wondered if that was uncertainty she detected buried deep in his tone. “I, ah, didn’t know you were close with Jeonghan, or I would’ve invited you myself.”

Minghao smiled, but it was a simple and genuine smile, betraying nothing of his relationship with Jeonghan apart from friendship. “No matter. But I got you this as a hosting gift.” He handed over the package in his arm to Seungcheol, and Jeonghan whined.

“I thought that was my birthday present!”

“Yours is in the car,” Minghao assured the man who was still clinging to his side with a small laugh, before looking at Seungcheol, whose animosity had dissipated slightly as he felt up the package cautiously, trying to figure out what was inside. “You can open it now if you like.”

“Cheollie, don’t-“ Jeonghan’s warning was lost to the wind as Seungcheol gleefully tore the gold wrapping paper apart mercilessly. Jeonghan shook his head as he sighed at the man’s antics, though Jihyun noted that it was one filled with fondness rather than exasperation. 

Seungcheol’s eyes widened fractionally when he finally saw the gift. “Penfolds Bin 389.”

“I hope you like it,” was Minghao’s simple reply. “It’s one of my personal favourites.”

Seungcheol nodded approvingly at Minghao’s impeccable taste in wine. “I’ll open it up and we can all have a glass later. Thank you, Minghao.” His eyes lingered on Minghao and Jeonghan for a moment more before he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Jihyun trailed behind Jeonghan and Minghao as they headed towards the living room, where the rest of their friends were scattered around the huge space. Seungkwan and Seokmin were battling it out on Seungcheol’s PS5, eyes glued to the 98-inch wall-mounted TV screen. Wonwoo and Jisoo were deep in conversation, with Jisoo flailing his arms as he tried to put his point forward and Wonwoo just smugly shaking his head. Hansol and Mingyu were talking at the makeshift bar Seungcheol had set up at the side, while Junhui - who had offered to serve as bartender of the night when Seungcheol and Jeonghan had invited him to join them - poured a stream of gold into two flutes with the casual grace that came with experience. 

Introductions were quickly made, and Minghao joined the trio at the bar while Jeonghan plopped down on the arm of the couch beside Jisoo, sliding one hand around his best friend’s shoulders. Jisoo, used to Jeonghan’s sudden shows of affection, didn’t even flinch at the sudden touch, but merely continued his intense discussion with Wonwoo.

Wanting to check on the cake, Jihyun was halfway down the hallway when she heard the doorbell ring again. Their last guest of the night was leaning hard against the bell, and only let out when Jihyun flung the door open. Jihoon stared at her, puzzled. “You’re early?”

Jihyun rolled her eyes. “I’ve been here since two, helping Seungcheol set everything up. Surprise, surprise, yada yada yada.”

Sympathetically, Jihoon patted her shoulder. “You took one for the team, huh?”

“Believe me, I’m not going to hesitate when I cash in the favour you owe me,” Jihyun grumbled as she shut the door. “Jeonghan’s in the-“

“Ji!” Seungcheol had popped his head out from the kitchen, “You’re finally here!” Before Jihoon could even say hello, Seungcheol had his arm in a firm grip and was dragging him over to the living room, where cheers erupted.

Shaking her head, Jihyun ducked into the kitchen, wanting to check on the cake, only to falter in her steps when she saw Soonyoung sitting at the kitchen counter. A small smirk tugged a corner of his lips up, and he purred, “Jagiya.”

Her first reaction was to whip around, only turning back after making sure the coast was clear. “You really like to live dangerously, huh?” She commented dryly as she leant down to check on the cake nesting quietly in the fridge, accompanied by - unsurprisingly - alcoholic drinks of all levels, from beer to vodka. 

“What’s life without some risks?” Soonyoung countered, tapping his fingers rhythmically on his thigh. Nope, she wasn’t looking at his thighs. Definitely not.

“Oh, Minghao’s here.” Jihyun recalled, and saw Soonyoung’s eyes light up at the mention of his friend. He slid off the barstool and bounded out of the kitchen, yelling “Hao!” at the top of his voice. 

You chose him, Jihyun reminded herself with a heavy sigh. Manchild or not, you chose him, so you’re stuck with him. Suck it up, Jung.

Free flow alcohol in various forms coupled with Seungcheol’s assurance that his unit was fully soundproofed (read: no possible noise complaints from grouchy neighbours downstairs) had Jeonghan and Seungkwan replacing the PS5 with a karaoke machine, a monster that resembled an old-school jukebox that auto-updated its tracks and came with a master tablet as well as four microphones. As the star of the party, Jeonghan had dibs on the first song, and was enthusiastically flipping through the song catalogue on the tablet with Seungkwan and Seokmin giving him helpful suggestions.

Remembering their last karaoke night, Jihyun couldn’t help but wince. Beside her, Mingyu clinked his glass of something unidentifiable against her glass of wine. “This is going to be a wild night,” he said cheerfully, downing the contents of his glass in one go. “Damn, this is good. Junhui has skills. Also, you never told me Mr. Xu - Minghao,” he corrected himself, “was coming.”

“I didn’t know Minghao was coming,” Jihyun corrected him. “Why are you more surprised at the fact that Minghao is here rather than the fact that our boss is here?”

Mingyu shrugged. “You’re friends with Mr. Lee, who’s friends with Mr. Choi. It’s not that hard a reach, even though I’ve never seen you guys talk at work. But Minghao - how does he fit in? I always thought he only had a business relationship with Mr. Choi; they didn’t talk much at the fashion show.”

Jihyun’s eyes landed on Minghao, who was leaning against a wall with Junhui beside him, the two of them seemingly getting along well as they chatted up a storm. If she had been one nanosecond late, she would’ve missed the way Minghao’s eyes had casually drifted over to where Jeonghan was standing in the middle of the room, sparkling pink microphone in hand, ready to sing his heart out to - My Heart Will Go On? She would’ve missed how that one casual glance contained so much tenderness and affection, it made her look away just as quickly, feeling like a Peeping Tom intruding on their privacy. “They’re friends, but he’s closer to Jeonghan,” she replied vaguely. Thankfully, Mingyu was already distracted by the iconic intro to the infamous theme song for doomed lovers, leaving her alone with her thoughts as he whooped and sang along with the others.

*****

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you...” 

In the darkness of the room, Jeonghan’s face was only illuminated by candlelight, but the golden hue wasn’t even half as bright as the sparkle in his eyes and the smile on his lips. 

“Happy birthday to Jeonghan, happy birthday to you!”

A veteran with birthdays, he needed no prompting to make a wish, hands locked in front of his chest and eyes closed as he made a silent wish, before leaning down and blowing out all the candles in one go to deafening applause and cheers. Jihyun flicked on the light switch, bathing the room in light once again, and smiled as Seungcheol handed Jeonghan a glass of burgundy velvet. The smile turned into one of amusement when Seungcheol, instead of giving a big speech about how Jeonghan deserved the world - frankly, he did sometimes - chose to whisper his birthday message into Jeonghan’s ear, causing a wave of pink to wash over the birthday boy’s cheekbones as he stood still and listened.

“That is painfully obvious.” Jihyun didn’t have to tear her eyes away from the couple to know who it was.

“Isn’t it just?” She murmured right back. “Platonic, my ass.”

“It’s a very fine one.” Soonyoung tapped his glass against hers, and was gone before she could take a sip, striding over to take Seungcheol’s place beside Jeonghan. Lifting his own glass of wine, Soonyoung hollered, “To Jeonghan!”

To Jeonghan, indeed.

Jihyun gently shooed her friends back to the karaoke machine while she took up cake-slicing duty, starting from the one ceremonial slice that had been made by Jeonghan earlier and working her way clockwise. Seokmin, ever the helpful guy, distributed the slices as soon as she’d plated them, and soon enough he was back for the last plate. He frowned when he did the math in his head, and handed her the plate. “You only cut 12 slices? Here, take this.”

Jihyun shook her head. “Don’t worry, I’ll share with Ji; the man doesn’t like too much sweet stuff.” Seeing Seokmin’s hesitation, she nudged the plate back towards him. “Just enjoy the cake, Min. I did not go on a cake run filled with Seungcheol’s incessant nagging for you to not enjoy the fruits of my labour.”

With a sheepish grin, Seokmin took the cake. “Thanks, Jihyun.” He watched her zoom into the kitchen with the empty tray and knife, and a sudden bubble of confusion popped into his head. 

“But didn’t Soonyoung hyung bring the cake?”

*****

It was past midnight, and as usual, the only sober ones were her and Jihoon. Most of their friends were dancing in the middle of the room, with Seungkwan manning the speakers and playing songs at a volume that made Jihyun itch to ask Seungcheol how good was the soundproofing here, because she could barely hear herself over the deafening Fantastic Baby. 

It seemed to be instinct, the way her eyes found Soonyoung without trying. She wondered if Soonyoung had a background in dance; the way that he could make a simple sway of his hips look so carelessly sensual easily had him being the centre of attention on the dance floor. Or perhaps that was just her. 

So there she sat, strawberry milk that she’d scrounged up earlier in hand, eyes never leaving Soonyoung’s figure dancing the night away like it was the last night of his life. 

****

Seungcheol would be the first to admit that he was horrifyingly drunk.

It was an inevitable conclusion; after all, he’d unwisely (perhaps eagerly) mixed his alcohol with no restraints. First it was champagne, then it was wine - that wonderful 389 - followed by soju, and some cocktail that Junhui had whipped up for him that slid down his throat like smooth silk and warmed him up from head to toe the moment it hit his stomach. Wonderful, wonderful Junhui.

Happily, Seungcheol wrapped his arms around the said man, who he’d been dancing with for the past few minutes, and felt Junhui’s arms close around him as well. “You’re wonderful,” Seungcheol slurred against the taller man’s sweater, though he doubted that Junhui could hear him over the din.

Junhui’s lips were suddenly beside his ear. “Do you want some water, Seungcheol ah?”

And pull himself out from this blissful state? Seungcheol shook his head violently, and felt Junhui’s chest rumble with laughter. “Alright. Let’s dance, you drunk man.”

After a few more spins that had the room spinning around faster than it had been earlier, Seungcheol realised that he was right beside Jeonghan, who was laughing hysterically as he danced with... Minghao. Right, Jeonghan had invited him. Had he always been such a good dancer? Seungcheol thought to himself grumpily as he stared at the dancing couple. Minghao’s hands were on Jeonghan’s hips as they ground against each other, and Jeonghan’s hair, long escaped from its neat ponytail, swung messily around his face as he-

Something flashed through Seungcheol’a mind, gone before he could grasp onto it, and he frowned. Jeonghan’s hair was nagging at something in his memories, but what? He saw Jeonghan on an almost daily basis, and Jeonghan had always had long hair since high school. What was it, then?

Taemin’s Move came on then, washing away the memory block in his mind like a tsunami. A club, surrounded by sweaty figures, Move playing in the background, a long-haired partner that he’d brought home and had given him one of the best nights of his life-

Seungcheol froze.

*****

“Seokmin-“

“Just let me-“

“Please-“

“No, sit down and give me a minute, Sol!” Frustrated, Seokmin raked a hand through his hair. Seeing that his friend wasn’t just flat-out drunk and seemed to have a solid reason for dragging him into one of the bedrooms, Hansol stopped trying to squeeze his way out of the door and settled down on the bed. 

“Come on, sit down and tell me.”

Obediently, Seokmin plopped down beside him, though the frustration was still on his face. “Seungcheol hyung asked Jihyun to buy the cake,” he started.

Hansol nodded. “Yeah, that was the plan. I remember because Soonyoung hyung asked me to ask Seungcheol hyung if he should get the cake, and Seungcheol hyung told me that he’d ask Jihyun to go to the bakery and get it.”

“Right, that’s what I heard as well.” Seokmin had started fiddling with his fingers as the uneasy feeling grew in his chest. Concerned, Hansol reached out and gently pried away one of his hands, taking it firmly in his grasp.

“Min-“

“Soonyoung hyung brought the cake earlier.”

Not understanding, Hansol frowned. “Did he? Perhaps Seungcheol hyung asked him to do it. After all, Jihyun was here early to help set up; she wouldn’t have had the time to go pick it up.”

“Maybe,” Seokmin murmured. “But... Something feels off. And the message on the cake-“

“‘Thank you for being born, Jeonghannie?’” It hit him like a ton of bricks then, and Hansol’s eyes widened in realisation. “Oh. Oh, oh, oh.”

“Jihyun doesn’t call Jeonghan hyung ‘Jeonghannie’-“

“But Soonyoung hyung does, sometimes.” Hansol finished for him. “You don’t think-“

“I’m trying not to.” Taking a deep breath, Seokmin let it out in a huff. “But I would think that yes, at the very least, Soonyoung hyung went to the bakery with Jihyun to place an order for the cake.”

“But as far as I know, Soonyoung hyung has pulled out all tricks and stops to avoid seeing Jihyun in the first place.” Hansol put up his fingers, and started counting. “When I met Jihoon hyung and Jihyun one night, Jihoon hyung said that Soonyoung hyung hasn’t met Jihyun since we got back from Jeju. At the celebration dinner, Soonyoung hyung didn’t even speak to Jihyun when we saw her there. And-“

“Why,” Seokmin interrupted, “would Soonyoung hyung want to avoid seeing Jihyun at all costs if she didn’t matter?”

Groaning, Hansol put his head in his hands. “Damn it. If we’re correct-“

“You know we are.”

Hansol ignored Seokmin’s calm retort. “If we’re correct, and there’s something going on between them... I don’t think we should tell anyone else. Not even Jeonghan hyung.”

Seokmin thought of his boss. “No, we’re definitely not telling Jeonghan hyung. But the... issue, so far as I know, has yet to be settled.”

“Damn it.” Hansol sighed, the earlier high from the party completely gone. “Damn it, damn it, Soonyoung hyung better know what he’s doing.”

*****

“You really should switch to water.” Over his own glass of wine, Minghao smirked at his best friend, who was currently slumped on the couch, face flushed from alcohol and all the exertion from dancing.

Soonyoung raised the green bottle in his hand. “It’s Jeonghan’s birthday. Do you know how many birthdays I’ve missed? Need to catch up.”

And because he did know, because he understood how this was the first birthday celebration of his friends Soonyoung had been able to attend in a while, Minghao tapped his wine glass against the soju bottle and watched as Soonyoung gulped down the contents like it was plain water. Fighting the urge to slow Soonyoung down, Minghao looked up and locked gazes with Junhui, who was dancing with Mingyu on the dance floor, but was looking at him with an unspoken question in his eyes. Minghao nodded subtly before turning back to look at Soonyoung, whose fingers were still firmly locked around the neck of the bottle. Well, now seemed like a good time. “Young, when were you ever going to tell me about you and Jihyun?”

Oh, Soonyoung was good. His gaze never even wavered as he stared right into Minghao’s eyes. “Jihyun? What about her?”

The casual dismissive tone may have fooled anyone, but not Minghao. He was someone who’d seen Soonyoung at his worst, someone who had been there for Soonyoung through all the laughter and all the tears. “Young. The others may be blind if they haven’t noticed the looks the both of you have been sharing throughout the entire night, but I’m not. Junhui noticed it as well. So you tell me,” Minghao countered, “what about her?”

“Junhui,” Soonyoung murmured. “Bartenders really notice everything, huh?”

“It is part of their job,” Minghao pointed out. “And I have to be detail-oriented to be good at what I do, which I am. Can’t blame us for noticing before anyone else did.”

“I can’t. Hao, you can’t tell anyone.” Desperation had crept into Soonyoung’s eyes, and the firm clutch on the soju bottle had been replaced by a firm clutch on Minghao’s wrist, where Soonyoung’s fingers dug into the skin, nearly crushing bone. “I haven’t - it - you know, Hao.”

He did. “Young.” Minghao placed his hand on Soonyoung’s cheek, trying to calm him down; he hated seeing Soonyoung like this every time he was reminded of the cage that he never seemed to be able to escape. “Young, I won’t tell. Junhui won’t either. Trust us, Young ah.”

Soonyoung leaned his head against Minghao’s shoulder. “I just want to be happy,” Soonyoung whispered against his collarbones. “Why is it so difficult? And Jihyun - do you know how devastating it is, to have to tell her that I could never give her anything, and have her tell me that she would rather take what I can give than leave? To tell her nothing, yet have her put her full trust in me?”

Minghao reached up to stroke Soonyoung’s hair. “I don’t know Jihyun well,” he said carefully as he watched the woman in question laugh with Wonwoo and Jisoo across the room, the genuine happiness radiating from her infectious as he felt his own lips curve up at the corners. “But she gave me the impression that she’s scarily capable, in the way that life could try its hardest to bring her down, and she would crawl her way back up to where she wanted to be. She wouldn’t have made the choice to stay with you unless she wanted to. So enjoy it, Young ah. We don’t know how long it’ll last, but when it ends, make sure that the both of you were happy while it lasted. You may not be able to give her forever, but give her the best of you, no matter how fleeting it will be. She deserves that much, at least.”

*****

“I don’t care how homophobic Rowling was, but Dumbledore was most definitely gay,” Wonwoo declared.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Rowling had intended for him to be gay,” Jihyun piped up. “‘Sorceror’ is, after all, pre-14th century slang for gays.” At Wonwoo and Jisoo’s incredulous glances, she held up her hands. “Okay, maybe not exactly the word ‘sorcerer’. The Vikings used the term ‘argr’-“

“Alex Fierro!”

Jihyun shot Wonwoo a finger gun. “Right. ‘Argr’ meant someone who practiced sorcery, which was also slang for someone who has a ‘receptive, passive role of a freeborn man during homosexual intercourse’.”

Wonwoo grinned. “Translation: the bottom.”

“Sheds a new light on Harry Potter and Merlin,” Jisoo mused. “Do I want to know how you had the entire definition perfectly memorised?”

Jihyun waved her hand airily. “It was summer break. Too much time, too little to do. Plus, kinda hard to forget ‘receptive, passive role of a freeborn man during homosexual intercourse’. You have to admit, that sentence packs a punch.”

“Freely admitted.” Jisoo fumbled for the buzzing phone in his pocket. “It’s the hospital. I need to take this, excuse me for a moment.”

The first room that he pushed the door open to was empty, and shutting the door cut off all sound from the living room immediately, and Jisoo needed a moment to recalibrate his bearings with the sudden silence. “Dr. Hong speaking.”

“Soo ya.”

Jisoo nearly dropped his phone at the familiar yet unwelcome voice, but the shock quickly wore off. “Mum. Why are you calling me with the hospital’s phone?” If they were a normal family, perhaps the first question would have been ‘why are you calling me at 1 in the morning?’, but Jisoo was hardly surprised to find his mother still at the hospital despite the late - or early - hour.

He could hear some clicking in the background, and could already envision his mother sitting at her desk in her office, habitually clicking her pen as she spoke on the phone. “It seemed more convenient, since I was on the phone before I called you. I did go to your office earlier, but the nurses said that you weren’t on the night shift tonight.”

“I took the night off. It’s Jeonghan’s birthday.”

His mother hummed, and he could already picture the disapproval on her face, despite not voicing it out. “Well. I was on the phone with Director Moon earlier, and he mentioned that his daughter would be joining the ortho department next week. She’s coming back from the States tomorrow, and he was wondering if you were free to-“

“No.”

A pause, and then a sigh. “Soo ya, you don’t need to marry her. As long as you can get her approval, it’ll make your life easier when you’re finally part of the Board and need to deal with Director Moon.”

“No,” Jisoo repeated, gritting his teeth. “I don’t need to go on dates to get approval for my work. And if you can’t see that, mum, you’ve severely underestimated your son.”

“Hong Jisoo!”

Jisoo didn’t stop, despite his mother’s warning tone. “If I’m going to join the Board, I’m going to do it by my own merits. Stop meddling with my life just because you think it’s for the best, mum. You did it with Jihyun, and look how that ended up.” A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over him, and Jisoo slumped against the wall. “Just... I’ll talk to you next time, alright?” Before his mother could say anything else, Jisoo had hung up the call, and proceeded to put his head in between his knees. He was so, so, tired, and it wasn’t because of the late hour, nor was it because of the alcohol. 

The door suddenly opened for a quick second before shutting again, the momentary onslaught of booming music jarring Jisoo out from his thoughts, and he looked up from his pants, only to yelp with surprise when he saw someone settling down on the floor beside him. “Seokmin?”

The younger man looked at him, eyes warm and comforting. “Do you want some company, hyung?”

Jisoo wanted to say no. Wanted to say that he was fine, that they should go back to the party lest their friends found them missing. But he found himself nodding despite himself, and moved closer to Seokmin, the firm press of Seokmin’s shoulder against his an oddly comforting and calming presence in the dark, quiet room. 

*****

“You don’t have to go,” Jeonghan whined as he leaned against Seungcheol’s door, staring unhappily at Minghao, who was standing outside the unit. “There’s room for all of us!”

“I didn’t see you trying to keep Wonwoo and Mingyu here when they left earlier,” Minghao teased. A hand came up to ruffle Jeonghan’s hair. “I’ll see you next time, Han.”

“It’s three in the morning,” Jeonghan complained. “It’s dangerous for you to be heading out on the roads at this time of night!”

“Precisely why I’m trying to get home as soon as possible.” They’d been friends for years, and Minghao could still find himself charmed by the man’s antics. “Happy birthday, Hannie. Go to bed soon, alright? I left some aspirin in the fridge as well, so take it for your hangover when you wake up in the morning.”

Jeonghan pulled him in for a hug, their arms slipping around each other with the ease of years of practice. “Why couldn’t I have fallen in love with you?” Jeonghan mumbled. “It would have been so much better.”

“You say that now,” Minghao chastised gently. He caught a sudden movement from the corner of his eyes, and had to duck his head to hide a grin. “The love of your life’s heading over,” he whispered into Jeonghan’s hair. “And boy, does he look annoyed at me. See that you quell the green-eyed monster in him before he rips my head off.”

“Minghao.” Seungcheol stood at the door, and the earlier jealousy thatMinghao had spotted had been schooled into polite curtness. “Do you want me to call you a cab instead? You were drinking earlier as well.”

Minghao disentangled his arms from around Jeonghan’s shoulders, and nudged him back into the doorway. “It’s fine, I stopped drinking a few hours ago. Thank you for offering, though.” He had to bite his cheek to stop himself from laughing out loud when Seungcheol shot out a possessive arm and wrapped it around Jeonghan’s waist. “I’ll see you next time, Seungcheol.”

“I never knew you were so close to Minghao.” Seungcheol asked once the door was closed, arm still around Jeonghan’s narrow waist. 

Jeonghan blinked up at him, those doe-like eyes full of surprise. “I always thought you knew. After all, we did meet him at the same time. But we are quite close, I suppose. I like Minghao a lot.”

Seungcheol wasn’t sure why that last sentence sounded so unpleasant to him, but it did. And he would later blame his mind-to-mouth filter for what he was going to say, which was: “Do you like me more?”

His next instinct was to stammer and apologise and ask Jeonghan to forget what he’d just said, but he was Choi Seungcheol, and if there were any words to describe him, it would be ‘stubborn’ and ‘determined’. He wasn’t really sure why he wanted an answer, and the question may have embarrassed him to the point where he wanted to leave right there and then (despite it being his house), especially with Jeonghan’s full-blown pupils staring at him like a rabbit caught in the headlights, but he stood his ground, staring right back at Jeonghan with the intensity he reserved for board meetings. 

Finally, Jeonghan opened his mouth. “Cheollie, of course I like you more. We’ve been best friends forever.” The shock had been quickly replaced by a soft smile, but - was it the lighting, or was there a sliver of hurt in the pair of brown eyes that he could sketch from pure memory?

Before Seungcheol could take a closer look, Jeonghan had slipped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised that the other ships would start to develop and I am here to deliver.


	37. Chapter Thirty-Six

Lunch at the hospital cafeteria had always been a luxury for most of the residents, who normally only had enough time to wolf down a quick microwave meal or a sandwich at their offices before they were paged again. Jisoo wasn’t sure why he’d even attempted to visit the cafeteria during his nonexistent lunch break, knowing full well that the curse would kick in the moment he got anywhere near the doors. Sure enough, he’d only managed to step off the elevator onto the floor where the cafeteria was before his pager beeped. A nurse passing by shot him a sympathetic grin. “Better luck next time, Dr. Hong.”

“There’s never a next time for this,” Jisoo grumbled as he stepped back into the elevator and pressed the button for paediatrics. Minutes later, he was standing outside his office, glaring at the man sitting in his chair, fiddling with his mini flashlight. “You know,” Jisoo said scathingly, “I was going to get lunch at the cafeteria.”

Seungcheol blinked at Jisoo, unsure of what he was supposed to say in reply to that. “Uh, I brought you lunch from the bento place near my office.” He pointed at a box sitting quietly on top of Jisoo’s files. “I can take it if-“

“Don’t you even dare.” Jisoo warned before pulling out his guest chair and settling down, the enticing scent of gochujang sauce making his stomach rumble. “So, what’s wrong? You have a child I never knew about who’s sick?” 

Seungcheol started fiddling with the flashlight again, clicking it on and off, on and off. Jisoo didn’t bother stopping him; he always distracted the children the same way. “I wanted to talk about Jeonghan,” he finally said.

Jisoo paused in the middle of shovelling rice and squid into his mouth. “Is he sick?”

“No, but...” Seungcheol looked at Jisoo. “The night we went to the club at Jeju...”

Oh, no.

“I slept with Jeonghan, didn’t I?”

Jisoo scrutinised Seungcheol’s face carefully, yet he couldn’t find any disgust nor regret. What he could find, however, was the face of someone teetering on the edge of a cliff, wanting the thrill the danger could bring, yet fearful for his life. “Why do you want to know?” 

Jeonghan’s birthday was a week ago. For the past seven nights, Seungcheol had been plagued with memory flashes of that one night in Jeju. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, perhaps it was real, but Seungcheol couldn’t let go of the image of Jeonghan writhing below him out of his mind. 

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with the information. Jeonghan was his friend, his partner, and Seungcheol had never had to take a moment for himself to think about what Jeonghan was to him. Yet every time the memory of Jeonghan in bed with him flashed through his mind, he found himself wondering if he could ever live with the fact that one day, those sounds and expressions would be exclusively reserved for another person’s viewing pleasure. 

He couldn’t. Which was why he’d dragged himself all the way down to the hospital, and had used his overflowing charms to get himself into Jisoo’s office. 

“I don’t know why I want to know,” Seungcheol told Jisoo, whose nose crinkled at the response. “But... I need to know. Judging by your response, I suppose the answer’s yes.”

Jisoo didn’t bother denying it. “What are you going to do about it?”

“The second reason I’m here today. You’re his best friend, other than me. So tell me.” Seungcheol’s finger finally stopped clicking the flashlight, though he still had it in his grasp. “Why did he sleep with me?” 

“It’s not my place to tell.” Jisoo carefully swallowed a bite of tteokbokki. “Talk to him if you want to know, Seungcheol. But one request, if I may...”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t talk to him about this if you don’t plan to love him the way he deserves to be.” Jisoo kept his eyes on Seungcheol’s, voice level. “Because I don’t think Jeonghan would ever survive the pain otherwise.”

*****

“Mr. Lee.”

Jihoon stopped, and turned around to see Hansol walking over to him, face solemn and professional. “Mr. Choi. How are you?”

“Fine, thank you.” When the elevator doors slid open, Hansol followed him into the elevator. “I was informed that your meeting with our legal department was already concluded. Mr. Kwon would like to see you, if you can spare some time.”

“Of course.”

Hansol smiled and leaned over to press the button for the top floor, only relaxing when the doors slid shut, leaving the two of them alone in the elevator as it glided upwards. “Hi, hyung. Soonyoung hyung just wants to know whether you want to grab lunch together, since, you know, you’re here.”

“Sure. I’m surprised that he’s free, though, otherwise I would’ve went up to say hi.”

“Hyung-“ The elevator doors opened, revealing a wide expanse of white on black, and Hansol switched modes immediately. “Mr. Kwon’s next appointment will be at three, so he’ll be available before then.” 

Jihoon followed Hansol down the long corridor, passing by a couple of rooms before they reached what was presumably Soonyoung’s. Deftly, Hansol knocked on the door three times, and only pushed it open when a muffled “come in” floated out from inside.

Soonyoung’s office was a stark contrast from Seungcheol’s, Jihoon noticed with some interest the moment he stepped inside. Where Seungcheol’s was wide and intimidating, Soonyoung’s was smaller in size. It wouldn’t have been out of place for a manager, but for a CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country, it was somewhat odd. 

“I have a bigger office down the hallway,” Soonyoung said with a lopsided grin, understanding Jihoon’s thoughts immediately. “I use it when I need to impress clients, but I prefer hogging this office space when I do my work.”

“It suits you,” Jihoon said as he piled himself into one of the chairs by the table across from Soonyoung. “Practical, no frills, no fuss.”

“Right? I mean, as long as I get my work done, I don’t see why the size of my office should matter.” Soonyoung closed the file in front of him and set it to one side before leaning back in his chair. “How was the meeting?”

Jihoon hummed. “Went well, I suppose. I got what I wanted, you got what you wanted too. Also, I was informed by your head of department that one of your counsels who was put on probation because of misconduct towards one of my counsels is still on probation, which, frankly, I had no idea about.” Jihoon raised an eyebrow. “Mind enlightening me?”

Soonyoung grimaced. The incident had happened two months ago, and he’d forgotten all about it after he’d dropped the investigation request in HR’s in-tray. “I’ll tell you over lunch. Come on, there’s a place just down the block that Minghao swears up and down is one of the most authentic Chinese restaurants in Seoul.”

“So you’re telling me,” Jihoon said as he scooped up some eggplant and minced meat, “that you filed a complaint against one of your own counsels because he insulted Jihyun?”

Soonyoung shrugged nonchalantly, gently blowing at his spoonful of hot piping soup. “I would’ve done it for anyone. Just because he’s my employee doesn’t mean that he gets to get away with insinuating that other people got to where they are by sleeping with their bosses. Plus, he’d be tarnishing Yoon Corporation’s image if word ever gets out, so it’s a win for me as well.”

Jihoon’s eyes narrowed fractionally before reverting back to their normal size. The character development piqued his interest; Soonyoung had gone from avoiding Jihyun at all costs (frankly, he wasn’t that subtle) to filing a complaint on her behalf, but what had triggered the change of mind? But there was a time and place for inquiries like this, and they involved lots and lots of alcohol. So, that was a question for another time, though he’d be mulling it over whenever he had the chance. “Of course. Thank you for standing up for her. She gets a lot of jabs like this from our own colleagues as well, but she tends to swallow it up and prove them wrong with her track record.”

And didn’t Soonyoung know it, recalling how Jihyun had just shrugged it away when they were both hidden behind the potted plant. “Don’t you both act more professionally at work to prevent these kind of rumours?” There was no blame behind his words, only plain curiosity.

“We do, actually. For instance, I never join her for lunches with Jeonghan and the rest. But the both of us tend to stay late at the office, and sometimes I send her home because I don’t feel safe letting her take public transport all alone at night. It caught the attention of some of our colleagues, and it didn’t take long for the rumours to start. But then, I would rather have her safely home than to have her insist on public transport just to avoid fodder for the gossip mill.”

“That is true.” They ate in companionable silence, and Soonyoung only spoke up when he had cleared off his plate. “You know, I’ve seen your academic records before.”

Jihoon shot him a confused look. “HR records?”

Shaking his head, Soonyoung grinned. “No. Every year, we ask the top universities in the country to send us transcripts of their best students that majored in an area that would be relevant to our work, and law is one of them. I wasn’t here-“ he circled his finger in the air, as though that was clarification enough, “-yet, but I was training in the offices then, right after I got out from university. Your transcript was very much hyped up, and I remember being really impressed when I saw your results. But as I recall it...” Soonyoung tapped his fingers on the table, “you rejected our offer.”

A smile crinkled Jihoon’s eyes as he recalled the memory. “I did.”

“It was an offer that we were willing to double, so long as you accepted. You knew that,” Soonyoung concluded, reading Jihoon’s expression. “Yet you rejected it.”

“I wanted to practice,” Jihoon explained. “Being a counsel in a company had never been on the list. I’d already accepted the offer from one of the top firms in the country, and I was eager to join their ranks as a litigator.

“And then Mr. Choi passed away.”

Soonyoung didn’t speak, waiting for Jihoon to finish his story. 

“I never met him,” Jihoon said slowly. “He was always too busy to join Seungcheol for dinner, too busy to even attend our graduation. But he wasn’t a bad parent, you know?”

A lump of emotion settled in Soonyoung’s heart as he recalled the memories of the man who’d been there since he could walk, who’d taught him most of what he knew now, who’d always treated him like one of his own when they were younger. He did know. 

“When he passed away, Cheol had to take on the mantle really fast. It was either go big or go home, and there were so many people waiting eagerly for him to fail. He barely had any time to properly grieve - all of his time was used in trying to convince the board and all the shareholders that a 25-year-old fresh out of university was ready to handle a conglomerate like Choi Industries.

“He woke me up one night, banging on my door, drunk and incoherent,” said Jihoon in his quiet tone. “That scared me. Seeing Cheol that way, so close to breaking down and giving up on everything, that really scared me. Because in all the time I knew Seungcheol, he was never a quitter, yet there he was, wanting to give up because of the impossibility of it all. I watched over him the entire night as he slept, and when he woke up the next morning, I told him I was quitting my job and was going to join his legal department.”

“He must’ve been pissed,” Soonyoung mused.

Jihoon chuckled. “He was. But he was too tired to win an argument against me, especially when I’d already made up my mind. My boss understood the twisted sense of loyalty in me; he even offered to keep my spot for me to come back to after Choi Industries was stable again. I have to admit, for the first two weeks at Choi Industries, I wanted to run back and take him up on his offer. The files were chaotic and disorganised, and the work itself was nothing like what I was used to. The office politics were even worse; everyone was waiting to see the man who got in through his connections with Choi Seungcheol embarrass himself, just so that they could have more leverage against Cheol.”

When Jihoon went silent, Soonyoung spoke up. “I suppose you proved them wrong.”

A hint of arrogance and pride entered Jihoon’s eyes. “I may have gotten in through connections, but after a month, they were all reminded of the fact that I was also top of my year for a reason. Law school conditioned us to work well under pressure, and as tough as it was, I got through it. After seeing how I could still be good at my work, despite it taking place in boardrooms rather than courtrooms, I lost the desperate urge to go back to practice. I could still cite case laws and win legal arguments,” Jihoon mused, “but where I am now? It’s not so bad.”

“Thank you for telling me your story.” Soonyoung felt compelled to show his gratitude; it hadn’t been his story, but he could sense that it hadn’t been easy for Jihoon to dredge up all the memories. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad Seungcheol - and Choi Industries - have you. Though I’m still upset that you didn’t join Yoon Corporation. Is it too late now to poach you?”

Jihoon’s resounding laughter echoed all over the bustling restaurant. 

*****

When Jihyun picked up the phone, the first sentence that greeted her was “why aren’t you sleeping?”.

“If you thought I was already asleep, why’d you call?” Jihyun asked reasonably as she tilted her neck from side to side, trying to get out the chinks in her joints from staying in the same position for too long. 

Soonyoung was silent for a moment. “Fair point. But why are you still awake?”

“Why are you still awake?”

An amused huff. “Jagi, you really love answering questions with questions, huh?” Without waiting for her to reply, Soonyoung continued, “I just got home, actually.” She could hear some rustling in the background, presumably Soonyoung settling down on his own couch. “Stayed back for some work with Hansol.”

Jihyun tutted. “Poor Hansol. To answer your question, I’m working as well, at home.”

“You know I worry. It’s almost two in the morning.”

“Pot, black,” Jihyun pointed out, stifling a yawn. “I just have a lot of deadlines piling up for the next couple of weeks, so it’s going to be hellish. I’m sorry if I won’t be able to spend much time with you until I finish everything.”

“That is the least of your problems,” Soonyoung admonished. “Jagi, it’s fine if you can’t spend time with me because of work. We’re both adults with working commitments. Though... a small favour, please? It’s small, I promise.”

“Mm, what is it?”

“Please take care of your health too. Deadlines are important, but I really don’t want you falling sick and scaring the hell out of everyone who cares for you. Get some sleep in between, and don’t forget to eat, alright?”

“I’ll do it if you do it.” Jihyun stared at the steaming cup of black, strong coffee on her bedside table, trying not to sound too guilty. A yawn slipped out from her clutches, and she shook her head to try and clear away the fuzzy edges. “You work too much sometimes. I know you worry about me a lot, but don’t forget that I worry about you just as much.”

Soonyoung laughed, a light chuckle that had her smiling involuntarily. “Seems like we both have our work cut out for us, huh?”

“You more than I, Mr. Kwon.” Jihyun leaned back against her headboard. “I miss you, Young ah.” She didn’t know how it had happened, but she felt Soonyoung’s absence like a missing limb, despite only seeing him perhaps once or twice a week because of their busy schedules, certainly not enough for her to be used to his presence around her. Yet here she was, missing Soonyoung to the point where it ached sometimes. 

“I miss you too, jagiya.” Soonyoung’s low tone was always a killer, and this was no exception. “Are you going to bed soon?”

“In a while,” Jihyun answered vaguely. Soonyoung didn’t have to know that she hadn’t planned on sleeping tonight, what with five deadlines due tomorrow and only one out of them completed. She hadn’t been slacking at work; she’d been swamped with deadlines recently, and her only solution had been extra overtime. She’d only gotten eight hours of sleep for the past three days, and the only reason she was still alive and functioning was because of caffeine. Her caffeine ban had gone straight out of the window after she realised that she would never be able to meet the deadlines without working overnight, and all Jihyun was praying for was for her system to crash only after she’d finished everything on her plate. 

Soonyoung hummed. “I’ll go take a quick shower and go to bed. Not too late, alright?”

“Alright. Goodnight, Young ah.”

“Goodnight, jagiya.”

*****

She woke up to Jisoo and Jihoon shooting identical deathly glares at her, and immediately wished that she could fall back into oblivion right there and then. “In my defence,” she croaked, “I did not mean for this to happen.”

Jihoon growled at her. “Since when do intentions matter when it comes to fainting due to stress and overworking?”

“It’s really annoying that you have a point.” Muttering, she pushed herself up into a half-seating position, and even that small act took most of the energy she now realised she had none of. 

Jisoo was silent, checking the monitor by the hospital bed and fussing with the IV drip, while Jihoon fumed by her side. With some trepidation, Jihyun realised that Jisoo was truly mad; like Jihoon, he was the type to stew silently when he was angry, only erupting all over the place once he reached his boiling point. Jihoon was mad, but considering how he was still yelling at her for being an idiot, he was more concerned and worried rather than angry at her. But Jisoo? He was furious, and Jihyun was already preparing to grovel once she could find the energy to do so. 

“I’ll come back later” was all Jisoo said before he sailed out of the door, and closed it with a resounding bang that had Jihyun wincing. 

Jihoon sat down on the side of the bed, fire still burning in his eyes, but his tone was more frustrated than anything else. “You really, really, need to start telling me stuff. How could you not tell me about all the deadlines piled up on your calendar? You and I both know that I would not have approved so many deadlines back-to-back, no matter how competent the counsel was.”

“I’m sorry,” Jihyun mumbled, and she truly was. Not because she’d fainted, but because she’d been too overconfident in her own abilities to meet all the deadlines set for her, without a care for how her friends would worry when her body couldn’t take it anymore and crashed. “Ji, I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t thinking about how you’d worry.”

“Damn right you are,” Jihoon grumbled, all of the earlier anger gone. “Hyun, please don’t do this to me anymore. We’ve argued about this before; why can’t you understand that I need you to talk to me, to tell me when something’s wrong?” He wrung his hands in frustration.

Guiltily, Jihyun reached out, and heaved a sigh of relief when Jihoon didn’t shove her hand away. “Ji, I’m really sorry. I didn’t see the deadlines as something wrong that I needed to tell you about; all I could think of was completing them and getting some rest after that. Please don’t be mad at me,” she added in a small voice. 

“I’m not mad at you,” Jihoon sighed. “I’m not,” he repeated, catching her disbelieving gaze. “I’m mad at myself for not noticing the mess-up, but I’m not mad at you anymore. Jisoo is, though.” He didn’t miss her wince, and looked at her. “You scared me, Hyun, but you should’ve seen Jisoo when he ran into the room. He was terrified, and only calmed down after he read your medical chart himself. He wouldn’t have reacted that way if he didn’t care.”

“I know.” And damn if that didn’t make her feel even guiltier. “I’ll apologise to him later, once I can get out of this bed. Did they say when I can leave?”

“I’m pretty sure you need to stay for one night.” Jihoon got off the bed and tucked her hand back under the blankets. “I’ll go ask one of the nurses. In the meantime, you might want to give Mingyu a call. I promised to ask you to call him once you woke up.”

It didn’t even take a second for Mingyu to pick up his phone, and Jihyun had to repeat “I’m fine” a few times before Mingyu stopped hyperventilating and babbling on hysterically about how he’d been worried sick. “I’m really fine,” Jihyun emphasised. “Sorry I made you worry.”

“I swear, you need a babysitter when it comes to work,” Mingyu groaned. “Also, I managed to remove all the bloodstains from your desk. You’re lucky none of the blood dripped onto your files.”

Blood? The memory of what had happened prior to her unheroic stunt of fainting came back to her in small snippets; she distinctly remembered working at her desk and feeling something wet drip down her nose, only to realise that it was a nosebleed when her fingers came away with red slick. Mingyu had grabbed her a bunch of tissues and ordered her to keep her head down while he carefully ushered her towards the elevators, intending to bring her down to the company’s first aid room, but before they even stepped out of the department, she’d succumbed to the darkness that had been threatening to pull her under for the past few hours, and to quote Mingyu, had ‘fainted right there and then, scaring the shit out of everyone’.

“Thanks, Gyu.” She spotted the door opening, and said, “I gotta go now. I’ll keep you updated, alright?” 

“You’re advised to stay overnight,” Jihoon began, “and the hospital’s given you the next three days off-“

Jihyun nearly choked. “Three days?”

Raising an eyebrow, Jihoon looked at her, daring her to complain. “Three days. You were saying?”

She knew that look, and she knew that any protests would be futile. Being a lawyer was more than arguing whenever you felt like it; it was also about knowing when to choose your battles, and this was most definitely not one she could win, especially when she was still in a hospital bed. So she swallowed back all the whining and grumbling, and mumbled, “Nothing.”

Satisfied, Jihoon nodded. “I thought so. I’ve called Seungcheol, and after all the threats of firing you for good so that you can get some rest, he said that he’ll visit later after office hours, since you’re obviously still alive and can probably wait a few hours more.”

Jihyun shrugged. “Fair enough. You should go back to the office too.”

After reminding her that he would be here tomorrow morning to pick her up, Jihoon left, leaving her alone in the room. She felt drained, and her body was already screaming for her to fall asleep, to get the rest she so desperately needed.

The last coherent thought she could muster was that if she fainted here, at least she was already at a hospital. 

When she came back to awareness next, Jeonghan was sitting on the chair by the bed, looking up from his phone when he caught her lifting a hand up to her face to rub her sleepy eyes. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Just tired.” To support her claim, she let out a yawn. “What time is it?”

“It’s around four.” Jeonghan came over and put an arm around her shoulders, helping her sit up against her pillows, before grabbing her a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside table.

Her throat finally felt less like the Sahara Desert, though her voice was still scratchy when she asked, “Jisoo-“

“He came in earlier while you were asleep,” Jeonghan said carefully, watching her face fall at the aspect of missing Jisoo. “Checked your vitals, deemed them good enough, and left. He’s pissed,” Jeonghan added, “in case you haven’t noticed that.”

Her fingers started fiddling with the blankets, a sign of her restlessness. She hated getting on Jisoo’s bad side; Jisoo normally had the patience and tolerance of a saint, but on the rare occasion that Angry Jisoo made his appearance, it had always been a scary reminder of how she might lose Jisoo with that one mistake. Though, in all fairness, her recklessness had been more than a ‘mistake’, rather a mess-up of biblical proportions. “I’ll apologise when he’s calmed down,” Jihyun said softly, before switching tracks. “You left Seokmin and Seungkwan back at Spring?”

Jeonghan nodded, eyes filled with understanding that she needed time to figure out her Jisoo-shaped dilemma. “They wanted to come the moment they heard from Wonwoo, but after Jihoon and Seungcheol’s assurance that you weren’t on the deathbed and just needed some rest, they relented and graciously allowed me to represent them. Also,” Jeonghan gestured towards the foot of her bed, and she discovered that there was a gorgeous bouquet of gerbera, roses, daisies and other flowers she couldn’t name but appreciated all the same sitting there. “Seungkwan whipped this up the moment he heard the news. Take it as a get well soon gift from all of us.”

She groaned in defeat and put her head in her hands. “I really messed up, didn’t I?”

A comforting hand came up to comb through her hair. “We’re not angry, Hyun ah. We were worried. Don’t do this to us next time, alright?”

“She better not, or else I won’t hesitate in signing off on the termination papers.” Seungcheol’s deep voice boomed through the room, and the both of them looked up to see the man striding in through the door in his suit, clearly having came straight from the office. His dark eyes were filled with a mix of exasperation and concern. “You do know that as much as I appreciate your hard work, I would appreciate it more if you kept yourself alive in order to work for me, right?”

“You know, the way you guys are seeing this one-time incident as a potentially-fatal situation is slightly worrying,” Jihyun commented sardonically, pursing her lips at the two men. “I should probably feel relieved that at least Seungcheol didn’t threaten to shut down the hospital this time.”

Her barb hit the spot; Jeonghan’s face flushed with varying levels of embarrassment and awkwardness, whereas Seungcheol, ever the alpha male, merely rolled his eyes. “Just for that, if you and Hannie were drowning at the same time, I’d definitely save Hannie first.”

Jihyun snorted. “I do know how to swim. Get a better insult.”

An hour later, Jihyun had finally managed to kick the overbearing couple out of the door - figuratively; she didn’t think she had the energy to even climb out of bed yet - and was preparing to dig into her own bland hospital dinner when she heard the door open again. “Did you forget something?” She asked without looking up, spearing an apple slice with her fork. 

“I wish I had.” 

Looking up slowly, her eyes met a pair of sickeningly familiar hazel eyes that was the exact replica of Jisoo’s own, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Jisoo’s was a replica of this woman’s. After all, she came first.

Dr. Han stood by the door, her beautiful face impassive, voice cold as she greeted, “Hello, Jihyun.”

It had been years since she’d last saw Dr. Han, and the woman hadn’t changed much, apart from the delicate lines decorating the corners of her eyes. The cold glint in those eyes were still there, a stark contrast to Jisoo’s which were always filled with warmth and joy.

Jihyun set down her fork. “Hello, Dr. Han.”

The doctor took a few steps forward, putting her between the closed door and the bed. “Earlier today, Jisoo was seen running down six floors of stairs to the emergency department,” she recited, as though she was telling Jihyun a bedtime story. “It caused a commotion between the residents, and upon reading the patient logs, I found a name that I’ve never thought about for years, not until a couple of weeks ago when I talked to Jisoo. Pray tell,” the doctor asked softly, though the tone was anything but motherly, “how is it that you’ve crawled right back into Jisoo’s life? And what will it take for you to leave my son alone again?”

“And here I thought you were here to check on my well-being.” Jihyun quirked an eyebrow, not bothering to put on a show of disappointment. 

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit,” Dr. Han refuted calmly, as though talking to a petulant child. “But then, I expected nothing more from you.”

“You forgot the next part: sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but the highest form of intelligence.” Jihyun chuckled at the flicker of anger in the doctor’s eyes. “But then, I expected nothing more of you.”

“Your lack of respect-“

“I choose to give my respect to those who deserve it.” Jihyun shucked off the mask of sarcasm and taunts, her expression darkening as she looked at the doctor. “Really, Dr. Han, you’re an educated woman, respected in her own right. Yet in a show of display of what might be your most unwise decision ever, here you are, once again trying to do the exact same thing you did years ago that led to the deterioration of your relationship with your son. There’s just no learning from your mistakes, huh?”

“My relationship with Jisoo has nothing to do with you.”

Jihyun laughed, though there was no mirth in that, merely bitterness and jest. “What a twist of events. Surprise, surprise, Dr. Han - I could say the same about my relationship with Jisoo.”

“Get out.”

The sudden order had the both of them looking towards the door. Jisoo stood by the door, his expression as cold as the Artic as he stared at his mother. “Get out,” he repeated. 

“Jisoo-“

“Meddle with my life again, mum, and I promise that I’ll disappoint you in ways you never thought possible.”

The threat packed a punch and hit Dr. Han where it hurt - her pride in Jisoo. With one last fulminating glare at Jihyun, who gave her an unbothered smirk, she whisked out of the room, leaving Jihyun and Jisoo alone.

“How much did you hear?” Jihyun asked cautiously. 

Jisoo took a moment, taking in a few deep breaths to calm his erratic heart down for the second time in the day before he answered, “Enough.”

“Oh.” Awkwardly, Jihyun picked up her fork and went back to her neglected apple slice. “I’m sorry, I was out of line. I wasn’t thinking much when I said what I said to her.”

“You do that a lot. Not thinking much.” Calmly, Jisoo picked up the chart and scanned it, missing out on Jihyun’s wince. 

“Walked right into that one,” Jihyun muttered. When Jisoo came over to check on the monitors, she shot out a hand and tugged on the sleeve of his white coat. “Soo, I’m sorry. I am truly, truly, sorry. I will beg and grovel once I can get out of this godforsaken bed, but please accept my apology. Please don’t be mad at me,” she whined. 

Jisoo seemed to ignore her for a moment as he kept his eyes on the screen, but the next thing she knew, she was being smothered against his stomach as his arms tightened around her in a deadlock. Understanding, she wrapped her arms around his waist as best as she could. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled into his coat. “Please don’t be mad, I hate it when you’re mad at me.”

“I was so scared,” Jisoo breathed. “When Jihoon called me and told me that he’d brought you to the ER ward, I was out of my office before I even realised it. The terror lessened a little when the nurses told me that you were just unconscious, but when the diagnosis came out - damn it.” Breath ragged, Jisoo pressed his nose to her hair. “What made you think that not sleeping for days and only surviving on power naps and caffeine was a good idea?”

“To quote yourself, I wasn’t thinking much.” That earned her a smack on her shoulder. “Sorry, too soon.”

“Overexertion can kill, Hyun ah. I would know; I’ve reached my maximum limit and collapsed a few times from the lack of sleep as well. I’ve saved my comrades when they got into the same situation. But you-“ his arms tightened around her, “why do you always think about other people, but never about yourself?”

“You overworked yourself a few times; you don’t really get to lecture me.” Jihyun drilled a finger into Jisoo’s side. Sighing, she snuggled closer into Jisoo’s warmth. “I’m sorry. I was too caught up with wanting to complete the deadlines on time, and the sense of duty overrode any sensibility in me.”

“I know.” Gentle fingers stroked her hair. “No next time, please.”

“Only if you promise the same.”

*****

In the headquarters of Yoon Corporation, Soonyoung groaned as he slumped against the table in a most un-CEO-like manner. “No more meetings, I beg of God.”

Beside him, tidying up the files from their marathon meetings which had started from ten in the morning and had only ended now, Hansol sent his boss a sympathetic glance. “You only have one meeting with Seungcheol hyung tomorrow, and that’s in the afternoon, so it’s going to be far more tolerable than what we had today.”

Soonyoung let out a snort, still not moving from his position. “Seungcheol’s a monster in negotiations. Why can’t we do it when he’s less sober? Can we do it with alcohol present?” When Hansol didn’t reply, Soonyoung lifted his head up by a fraction so that his capable assistant was in his line of sight, only to see Hansol frowning at his phone, which reminded him that his phone had been neglected for the entire day as well. “I was kidding about the alcohol.”

Hansol shook his head. “Sorry, hyung. It’s just... Seungkwan and Seokmin texted me earlier. Jihyun’s in the hospital.”

Soonyoung felt his mind go blank, white noise roaring in his ears. 

“Hyung? Soonyoung hyung?” Soonyoung’s eyes were blank, void of emotion, and there was no response to Hansol’s calls. Worriedly, Hansol patted his boss on the shoulder a couple of times. “Hyung, are you okay?”

Hansol’s gentle calls finally broke through the bubble of panic that Soonyoung had wrapped around himself, and Soonyoung blinked a few times before replying hoarsely, “I’m good, Sol.” Taking a deep breath, he reminded himself harshly that he needed to keep a cool facade. Hansol can’t know, Hansol can’t know -

“Well,” Soonyoung said mildly, “I hope she gets better soon.”

Hansol stared at him warily. “Right. I think it’s not serious, Seungkwan says they’re discharging her tomorrow-“

“Hansol,” Soonyoung interrupted, injecting a sliver of annoyance into his tone, “Does her well-being have anything to do with the meeting details that we’re supposed to go over now?”

“N-no.”

“Exactly.” Hating the disbelieving and disappointed look in Hansol’s eyes, hating himself, hating his entire life, Soonyoung nodded. “So, brief me about the meeting with Seungcheol tomorrow.”

To:  
Hey  
Did you guys send over a bouquet already?

From:  
Yeah Jeonghan hyung took it over this afternoon when he went

To:  
Alright  
Can you help me send one over tomorrow too?

From:  
Sure, I’ll make sure Jihyun gets it before she leaves the hospital  
Is Soonyoung hyung chipping in too?

To:  
No, it’s just me  
Thanks Kwan

To:  
Min  
Remember our... theory?  
I don’t think it’s what we thought it was

From:  
?

To:  
I told him about her being hospitalised  
He was surprised for a moment but all he said was “I hope she gets better soon”  
And proceeded to talk about work 

From:  
He could’ve been trying to play it cool

To:  
He informed me that a get well soon bouquet was a waste of money since she was getting discharged tomorrow when I asked if he wanted to chip in 

From:  
...  
Okay  
First  
You gotta admit that that’s pretty out of character for Soonyoung hyung  
He even sent that annoying Ms. Lee from Parker Electronics a bouquet when she was hospitalised last year, and we all know how Soonyoung hyung hated dealing with her

To:  
True  
But  
Hmm  
You think?

From:  
I know  
Okay let’s not be too confident so I’ll go with I think  
But I think Soonyoung hyung was just pretending to be nonchalant about the entire thing  
I’ll bet you a meal that he asks about her tomorrow

To:  
You’re on.

*****

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Blearily, Jihyun fumbled for her phone and pressed ‘answer’ without looking at the screen. It could only be one person. “Hello?” She mumbled groggily. 

A sigh. “Jagiya. You broke our promise, it seems.”

“Sorry.” Her sleepy mind was starting to reboot itself, but she kept her eyes shut and rolled to the side, phone clutched to her ear as she snuggled under the blankets. “I’ve apologised so many times today, but it’s still sincere.” 

“Can you tell me what happened?” There was no reproach in Soonyoung’s voice, only concern. “Hansol told me that you were going to be discharged tomorrow, but he didn’t tell me how you got yourself into the hospital in the first place.”

Voice still foggy with sleep, she gave him a quick recap of her failed attempt to handle more than she could. “Probably should’ve stuck to my caffeine ban,” she mumbled. “The crash is horrible; I’ve slept for most of the day already and I’m still tired.”

“Shall I hang up now?”

She shook her head, despite Soonyoung not being able to see it. “Mm, no. Wanna listen to your voice. I’m lying in the dark and my phone’s by my ear,” she told him with a small yawn. “It feels like you’re right beside me.”

Soonyoung chuckled in her ear, and she took a moment to savour the happiness that one simple sound brought her. Perhaps she should get him to record his laughter and use it as her alarm ringtone. “Jagiya, I’m sorry I couldn’t visit you. Visitation hours were already over by the time I finished my meetings.”

“It’s alright, I understand. Plus, I was asleep most of the time anyway.” He didn’t need to add that it would’ve been too risky for him to visit her; it was something that could remain unspoken yet understood. 

“But can you come to the window?”

Her eyes flew open instantly. “Young...” she started suspiciously. 

Another chuckle. “Just come to the window.”

Jihyun swore that she was going to stick to her rigid caffeine ban after this stint; it took her far too long to get up from the bed, and even longer to stumble over to the window, where she pulled the blinds up, revealing the quiet night. “I’m at the window,” she whispered.

“Alright. What do you see?”

Quizzically, she stared at her phone. “Are we playing ‘I Spy’?”

“If you like. You can start.”

Not knowing what her boyfriend - no, scratch that - not knowing what Soonyoung was up to, Jihyun pursed her lips as she leant against the window. “I spy with my little eye, something beginning with C.” The hospital’s convenience store was still brightly lit, and she could spot a couple of people still browsing inside, most likely family members of patients who had decided to stay overnight to keep their loved ones company. 

“Convenience store.”

“You’re good at this,” she said with a small frown. She may be tired, but her competitiveness, it seemed, was still very much awake and eager to rumble.

“Well, I am Kwon Soonyoung.”

“You know, I’d say you were being arrogant, but then I have to admit that you’re always good at everything you do. So your turn, o mighty Kwon Soonyoung.”

“Hmm, give me a moment.” She heard some soft noises in the background before Soonyoung spoke again. “I spy with my little eye, something that starts with P.”

P? She racked her head for the answer. “Plant?”

“Nope.”

“Pen?”

“Hmm. Nope. I’ll give you one last chance to guess.”

Head tilted to one side, Jihyun tried to envision Soonyoung’s house that she’d never visited. What would a house normally have that starts with P? Pot, perhaps, if he were in his kitchen. Piano? Did Soonyoung play the piano?

“Shall I give you a hint? Look down.”

And there he was, the spark of joy in her life, leaning against his car parked across the convenience store, one hand tucked into his pocket of his dark slacks while the other held his phone up to his ear, the grin on his handsome face brighter than the beacon of light hanging in the middle of the dark sky. His mouth moved, and his voice floated over the speakers. “Hello, jagiya.”

Something exploded in her chest; she wasn’t sure if it was pure joy from seeing him, or the realisation that even after a long day at work, even after visitation hours were over, even though he shouldn’t be here, he had come just to get a glimpse of her, despite the distance between them. “Hello, Youngie,” she managed to choke out, smiling despite the lump in her throat. “Oh, God, I missed you. I really did.” She swung her arms from one side to another in an exaggerated wave, and saw him laugh. 

“I know.” His voice was thick with emotion, but the grin never faded. “I missed you too.”

So there they stood, two figures separated by sheets of glass and the cold crisp air of the late autumn night, looking at one another with so much care and affection in their eyes, it would’ve hurt to see them. And Soonyoung was partially relieved that Jihyun had forgotten to ask what the ‘P’ word had been, because he didn’t think that he could tell her to her face that the answer had been ‘person I care for and want to cherish as much as possible’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama, drama, drama.
> 
> The last three updates are a result of my procrastination and I really need to get back to my exam prep. But as I’ve mentioned earlier, I already have the entire story mapped out and I’m definitely not abandoning it. It’ll just take me some time to update it, that’s all. Good news: I’m pretty sure I’ll be finishing this story around 44 chapters ^^
> 
> If you’re still here, you have my utmost gratitude for your support and love for this story. Stay safe and stream Jun’s Silent Boarding Gate!


	38. Chapter Thirty-Seven

Idly, Soonyoung spun his pen around with his thumb and index finger with the ease of someone who’d been doing it for a long time, eyes scanning the document in front of him yet not understanding anything he read, even though it was merely a simple, standard email from one of their partners about an update of no major consequence. 

He needed a break. 

Leaning back against his chair, he closed his eyes momentarily, savouring the fleeting peace and calm he could get in the midst of the chaos of work. But then, he had to admit, he loved his work. Despite having to drag his exhausted body back home every night - his house was no more than a mere place for him to sleep now - and despite the never-ending challenges his work brought him (though it was mostly paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork as well), he loved it all. In another life, he would’ve still chosen to do what he was doing, regardless of the title. 

Alright, that was enough of a power break. But before he got back to work, he still needed to check on something that had crossed his mind yesterday.

A few clicks on his computer bagged him the answer he was looking for, and he picked up his phone, dialling a number that had been maintaining a high spot on his recent callers list for the past few weeks. “Hello?”

And there was the recharge he didn’t know he needed until now. “Hello, jagiya.” He wondered if he was overdoing it, if he was crossing any unnamed lines by calling her jagiya, but she’d never protested, seemed to love it, in fact. The affectionate term slipped out from his mouth so naturally whenever he was talking to her, a small offer on his part despite knowing she would never demand it of him; if he could never give her his heart, he could give her a humble semblance of his feelings, packaged neatly under affectionate nicknames and displays of affection. “How are you feeling?”

“Bored.” He could hear the grumpiness in her tone, and imagined her pouting at the fact that she had been ordered - by Seungcheol, by Jisoo, by Jeonghan, by Jihoon - to stay at home for three days after her discharge from the hospital. They were similar in that regard; days off from work were something alien to them, preferring to work, work, work. It was easy enough when you didn’t see your work merely as a tool to earn money, but as something that kindled your passion in life. “And it’s only the second day. What am I supposed to do?”

“Read?” He suggested. 

“Wonwoo sent over some books yesterday, but I’ve already finished them all,” she sighed. “One can only reread the entire Bridgerton series for so many times until they lose their meaning. Youngie, I’m bored. But why are you calling? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“I am. But I wanted to ask you if you were going to be free tomorrow, for the entire day.”

A dry snort. “Young, I’ve been banned from work. They even cut off my access to the server, and when I tried to log in earlier - just to check on the files I had Mingyu help me complete,” she added hastily, “it said ‘get off your goddamn laptop and rest’, which I will bet is the work of Lee Jihoon. I’ve finished ten books in one day. I’ve already baked a cake. If it weren’t obvious enough, yes, I am most definitely free tomorrow.”

“You forgot to add that you got a visit from me yesterday.”

“Which was undoubtedly the highlight of my entire day. You didn’t need that ego boost.”

“I always do when it comes to you,” Soonyoung murmured.

“What? Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Is my line breaking up?” Jihyun asked, and Soonyoung could hear her moving, probably finding a better spot for reception.

“No, it’s nothing. Well, since you’re extremely free tomorrow, shall we go on a date?”

When the phone on his table rang, Hansol didn’t need to look away from the screen of his computer when he picked it up. “Yes, boss?”

“Hansol ah. Are you alone now?”

“That sounds like a really bad start to-“

“Hansol.”

“I’m alone.” Interestedly, Hansol saved the document he was working on and gave the phone his full attention. “Is there something you need?”

It took a few seconds before Soonyoung spoke again, his voice calm and controlled. “I need a bouquet for tonight.”

If Hansol had been drinking water, it would’ve ended all over his computer and table. But he was personal assistant to one of the most influential men in the country; his reflexes had been honed to a fine point, and rebounding from the shock only took a mere millisecond. “Yes, sir. What kind of bouquet?”

He could hear Soonyoung’s habitual pen-tapping in the background, a sign of him being deep in thought. “Something purple and pink. Maybe blue too.”

“Right.” Hansol was already jotting it down on the notepad by his phone meant for this very purpose. “Any specific type of flowers you’d like?”

The pen-tapping faltered for a moment before picking up again. “Ro...ses? I don’t know, Sol, whatever that looks nice will be fine.”

Hansol was not a teenage girl. Hansol was a full-grown man, trained to react appropriately in all sorts of situations. However, at that very moment, Hansol wanted nothing more than to squeal like a teenage girl who’d been told that her crush liked her back. Take that, Lee Seokmin, he thought, before focusing on the phone again. “Alright, sir. I’ll place the order at Spring. Will you be picking it up this evening?”

“No, you’ll be picking it up.”

Hansol’s jaw dropped. “I will?”

“And no telling anyone else that I’m ordering a bouquet,” Soonyoung added. “Do it under your name, tell them you have a date, tell them it’s for a client, tell them anything but the truth.”

Hansol’s mouth fluttered open and shut again, before opening again, but no sound came out from him. On the other side of the line, Soonyoung asked in a concerned tone, “Hansol? Are you there?”

“Yes. Yes,” Hansol replied with a clear of his throat, still trying to recover from the whiplash he was suffering from all the shocks his boss was giving him, all in one phone call. “I’ll do it now, sir.”

“Good. Thank you, Hansol.”

The moment Soonyoung hung up the phone, Hansol was already dialling up Seokmin’s number on his own. “Min,” he said the moment the call was connected, “are you free?”

Seokmin hummed. “As free as I can get, since I’m on my way to the building. Anything?”

A quick glance at his watch had Hansol doing the math in his mind before asking, “Do you want to grab lunch together?”

“So you’re telling me,” Seokmin said over his pizza, “that Soonyoung hyung wants a bouquet. But he’s ordering it under your name, and you’re not supposed to tell anyone about it, but you told me anyway.”

“You get an A,” Hansol managed to get out around his mouthful of heavenly goodness. 

After Seokmin had delivered the Jeonghan-approved documents to Hansol, the two of them had slipped out to the pizzeria two blocks away from the building for lunch, and were currently splitting a large pepperoni pizza between them. 

Seokmin mulled it over. “I’ll get Seungkwan on it when I get back. The issue is, if the bouquet is for Jihyun-“

“Who else could it be for?”

At Hansol’s incredulous protest, Seokmin shushed him with a finger. “We don’t have concrete proof of it being for Jihyun. However - I said however!” Seokmin exclaimed indignantly before Hansol could launch a pepperoni slice at him, “there is probably an 80% chance that it is for Jihyun. After all, roses are romantic. The only possible romantic interest in Soonyoung hyung’s life as we know it is Jihyun, though we have nothing more than mere coincidences to sustain our theory.”

“Soonyoung hyung doesn’t do ‘mere coincidences’,” Hansol said with the confident air of someone who’d known the man in question for a long time. “I can feel it in my bones, it’s Jihyun.”

Seokmin sent him a contemplative look filled with curiosity. “You’re very happy about this entire thing, considering...” He let the sentence hang in midair before it died away, and the only sound that could be heard was the soft murmurs of the other customers accompanied by the occasional clink of utensils in the pizzeria. 

That seemed to sober Hansol up, despite the apparent lack of alcohol. “I’m not... pleased with the situation,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “We both know that it’s not going to end well, and if Jeonghan hyung ever found out about this-“

“I would prefer he never found out about this.” With a sigh, Seokmin polished off the last of his pizza. “I doubt that he would react well to it, and I would be the one to suffer from his dark moods. But then, I recall that he seemed to have promised Soonyoung hyung that he would try his best to solve the issue this time round. That might be the reason Soonyoung hyung dared to do, well, what he’s doing.”

Hansol looked at Seokmin, alerted. “When was that?”

“The night you and Soonyoung hyung came to Jeju. I overheard it when I was outside the study.” Seokmin ran his fingers absently up and down the straw in his glass of Coke. “I don’t think Jeonghan hyung has actually followed up on the promise yet, but it’s still early. After all, he knows better than anyone else that impatience will get him nowhere if he’s hellbent on solving this once and for all.”

“Whatever happens,” Hansol said after a short pause, “whether we’ll all be back to the beginning point where this entire mess started, or whether we’ll get the miracle we’re hoping for, I only want Soonyoung hyung to be happy.”

“Who could blame you?” Seokmin mused. “Far be it from me to deny that in this entire facade of a fairytale weaved into a theatrical nightmare, he deserves to be the happiest out of all of the people involved.”

*****

Seokmin and Hansol had no idea that while they were engaged in conversation, the man in question was standing outside the bookstore next to Spring, looking around furtively before ducking in through the doorway, joining the other customers wandering around the bookshelves. God, there were so many books. Where was he supposed to-

“Soonyoung?”

He turned around to see Wonwoo looking at him, a stack of books in his hand and a grin on his face. “It is you. What brings you here?”

“Good question.” Soonyoung returned the grin sheepishly. “Er, I was passing by and remembered that you own the bookstore next to Jeonghan’s flower shop, so I wanted to come in and pick up some books for a friend of mine.”

Wonwoo nodded understandingly. “Do you need my help picking out the books, or do you already have the titles in mind?” Catching Soonyoung’s wince, he laughed. “Alright, let me set down these books and help you out.”

“What kind of books does your friend like to read, normally?” Wonwoo had just given Soonyoung a quick tour of the shop, and they’d stopped in front of a shelf filled with motivational books that ranged from telling you how to live your life correctly to how to be happier. “Non-fiction or fiction?”

Soonyoung scrunched up his brows in concentration. “Fiction? S-He loves Harry Potter.”

Chuckling, Wonwoo led them over to the fiction section. “Who doesn’t? I’m a big fan myself. Jihyun and Jisoo are, too.” He scanned over the titles briefly, and nodded. “There are a lot of books in the same genre, so let’s try and narrow it down a bit more. Any other books that you know that he’s read before?”

“He mentioned something a while ago - Bridgestone? Bridges?”

“Bridgertons?”

Soonyoung pointed his thumb at Wonwoo. “That. Is that a book?”

“Technically, it’s a series,” Wonwoo explained as he gestured to a shelf on their left. “Historical romance, hilarious and a good read, all in all. Perhaps you can get him some books that fit the same criteria, and toss in some other fantasy fiction as well, depending on how many books you’re planning on getting.”

“I don’t mind more books,” Soonyoung assured Wonwoo, “so just pick out whatever you think would be best.”

“Sure.” Wonwoo leaned down slightly to scrutinise the titles on the spines of the books, his finger running through them lightly as he debated the best choices. “What’s the occasion?” He asked casually. “Birthday?”

Soonyoung pretended to be examining the books on the shelves behind Wonwoo, so the other couldn’t see his expressions and the risk of him catching onto his web of lies could be minimised. “He’s on bed rest, and I thought I could get him some books to pass the time. Sprained ankle,” Soonyoung added, for good measure.

He heard Wonwoo’s hum of acknowledgment. “Well, if he’s an avid reader, your gift would be really considerate. I just sent over a few books to Jihyun yesterday for the same reason - oh, did you know she got herself hospitalised because she’d been overworking herself?” Tutting, Wonwoo pulled out a blue paperback. “Mingyu was worried sick. I’ve always told her to prioritise her health over her work, but it’s just like her to do the opposite.”

Don’t I know it, Soonyoung thought to himself with an internalised sigh. He wondered if he was cutting it too close for comfort, coming here to buy books for Jihyun when Wonwoo had just sent her a whole stack yesterday, and even using the same excuse for his imaginary friend, but he hadn’t wanted to go to any of the other bookstores in the city, knowing that Wonwoo would know what Jihyun liked to read far better than he did, a fact that he was determined to remedy.

Wonwoo had moved over to the shelves in another row, and Soonyoung trailed behind him. “I heard about Jihyun getting hospitalised,” he said as lightly as he could manage, keeping his tone politely uninterested. “What books did you send over for her?”

“Fictions,” Wonwoo replied, already skimming through the titles on the shelves to make his selection. “She prefers them over non-fiction. I sent over the Bridgerton series your friend liked, as well as some other fantasy fiction books and mystery thrillers. Come to think of it, that’s probably why it’s fairly easy for me to pick out books for your friend - I just did the same thing yesterday,” he chuckled, pulling out a couple of books from the shelf. 

Soonyoung had to suppress a groan; he hadn’t considered that Wonwoo might pick out books that he’d just given Jihyun yesterday. Think, Soonyoung, think. 

Wonwoo was heading back to the cashier, and Soonyoung watched as he set down a stack of - how many were there? Fifteen? - books in all shapes and colours on the wooden countertop. Catching Soonyoung’s amazement, Wonwoo grinned. “You don’t need to buy them all, but these are some of my personal recommendations that would best fit your friend’s tastes. Since his taste also mirrors Jihyun’s, I’ve also chosen some that Jihyun’s recommended to me before. I haven’t gotten around to reading those yet, but I think you can trust her taste.”

And there was the opening he needed. “Which ones are Jihyun’s recommendations?” 

Wonwoo pointed out five of the books in the stack, and Soonyoung carefully pulled them out and set them to one side. “Are there any here that you sent to Jihyun yesterday too?” 

Utterly baffled, Wonwoo pointed to three others in the original stack of books, only to have Soonyoung pluck them out and set them aside. Soonyoung pushed over the remaining books and said with a smile, “I’ll take these.”

“You know,” Wonwoo said after ringing up the books, a slight hesitation in his deep voice, “I heard about your dislike of Jihyun, but experiencing it firsthand... forgive me for being direct, but you have an odd way of showing your dislike, Soonyoung ah.”

Soonyoung wanted to protest, wanted to defend himself, wanted to tell Wonwoo that he was buying these books for Jihyun so that Wonwoo could pick out books that would precisely fit into Jihyun’s preferences, but found himself saying, “Perhaps I do.”

*****

The bell let out its usual crisp tinkle, and Seungkwan looked up from his spray bottle to see Hansol walking in through the door, a smile blooming on his face as his eyes landed on Seungkwan. “Kwan!”

Seungkwan mustered a smile, though it was nowhere as bright as the one on Hansol’s face. Of course, he thought dejectedly. The man was heading out for a date; it would’ve been weird if he wasn’t brimming with excitement and joy. “Hey, Hansol. Come on, I’ve got your bouquet right here.”

He may have been slightly disappointed when Seokmin had told him to whip up a bouquet of roses for Hansol, but the bouquet reflected none of his own dejected feelings. It sat behind the counter in a stand, a mix of roses and baby’s breaths in hues of pinks, purples, with one baby blue hydrangea in the centre. 

Hansol gaped at the bouquet admiringly. “Kwan, that’s really, really gorgeous. I feel like keeping it for myself instead of giving it to-“ he caught himself at the very last minute and covered it with an awkward cough. “But yeah, you did a wonderful job, as always.”

Tiny smile still in place, Seungkwan printed out the invoice and handed it to Hansol, taking over the bills the other man handed over. “I’m glad you liked it,” he replied softly. “The colour combination was fun to work with too, so thanks for that. I hope your date likes it.”

“My-“ Hansol stared at him, flabbergasted. “My date?”

Suddenly feeling very unsure of himself, Seungkwan bit his lip. “I assumed it was for your date. Er, it’s not?”

Hansol looked at the bouquet in his hand, looked at Seungkwan, looked at the bouquet, and looked at Seungkwan again. “No,” he answered awkwardly. “It’s, er, for someone else, but it’s just a friendly gift. Not a date. Definitely not.”

“Oh.” Way to go, Boo Seungkwan. Now the guy you’re interested in thinks you’re an idiot who likes to jump to conclusions. “Oh. Sorry, I just thought...” He waved his hand around momentarily before letting it fall to his side. “Just thought that it was for your date. Sorry.”

The sparkle was back in Hansol’s eyes. “Nah, don’t be. I understand where you got the idea from. Glad we cleared it up, though.”

Glad we cleared it up? Choi Hansol-

“Hey, you wanna grab dinner together?” Hansol was saying, totally oblivious to how Seungkwan had stopped functioning after the last sentence. “I just need to deliver this bouquet and I’ll be done for the day. My treat, to thank you for the bouquet.”

Seungkwan could only blink at him, his mind-to-mouth receptors all sizzled and fried. The smile on Hansol’s face dimmed slightly. “Er, it’s fine if you’re not free! We can-“

“No!” Seungkwan’s sudden enthusiastic reply had Hansol blinking at him, surprised. “Er, I mean yes. As in yes, we can grab dinner together. Definitely a yes.”

And as Hansol grinned at him bashfully, he allowed himself the selfish self-indulgent fantasy of wondering whether Hansol might possibly feel the same way he’d been feeling ever since that first conversation that took place in a hallway in a house in his hometown.

*****

The door to Jihyun’s unit was already wide open when Soonyoung approached, and he quickened his footsteps, concern building up in his chest, only to heave a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar face grinning up at him from the doorway, her usually straight long hair curled into gentle waves framing her face, petite figure clad in a simple blouse decorated with subtle floral patterns and a skirt in a soft shade of pink that reached her mid-calf. 

His mind went ‘you look really, really nice’, but his mouth went, “It’s dangerous to have your door wide open for anyone to walk in.”

Jihyun rolled her eyes. “I’m here because I buzzed you in, remember? Plus, if there were any knife-wielding psychotic murderers heading over to my place, with all the cameras around the place-“ she gestured to the discreet black cubes lining the hallway ceilings, “you’d probably be able to catch their faces in Ultra 4K HD.”

“I’ll get you the justice you deserve if that ever happens. But for now, have these instead.” A spark of primal satisfaction flickered in his chest when he saw her eyes light up with surprised joy at the bouquet and carefully-wrapped package in his arms. “I’ll set it down for you.”

He followed her into her unit, and carefully set down the bouquet - still looking fresh and cheerful even after spending a night in his fridge - and the books on her couch. What he wasn’t expecting was the sudden embrace he received from the back the moment his arms were empty. 

“You know,” said Jihyun, voice muffled against his jacket, “I was going to give you a lecture on how you don’t need to spend money on me. But the flowers overrode my sense of practicality almost instantaneously, so apologies for that. And the books - I can’t believe you actually got me books, and from Wonwoo’s place too.”

He turned around to return the hug, the feeling as natural and as right as fitting two puzzle pieces together. “You’re welcome, jagiya. Just treat them as a get well soon gift, hmm?”

“Only this time,” she murmured. “Thank you, Young. You smell like roses, by the way.”

With a laugh, Soonyoung disentangled them and took her hand. “Come on. Time to go on our date.”

Jihyun hadn’t stopped giggling ever since they got off the car, and that was already five minutes ago. Walking beside her, a polite distance of a couple of inches between them - she hadn’t even bothered to offer her hand this time, and Soonyoung had wondered for a fleeting, bitter moment whether he should be relieved or otherwise at the fact that she was being understanding and considerate of the unreasonable demands he was making of her, despite knowing nothing of the reasons behind them - Soonyoung asked, amused, “What are you laughing at?”

She stopped for a moment, though the curve of her lips was still there. “Two things.” She put up two fingers as an additional visual guide. “One, we’re on a typical first date.” She swept her arms out dramatically at the busy park, the majestic Han River on their right. “One of the most atypical couples in the city are on a typical first date, and it just somehow tickles my skewed sense of humour.” That being said, she let out another peal of breathless giggles before continuing. “Two, you’re in a typical undercover disguise. I never understood how the people around Superman couldn’t recognise him whenever he took off his glasses, but looking at you now, I finally get it.” She slowed down her footsteps and scrutinised his face. “You look different in a good way.”

Chuckling, Soonyoung pushed up his round glasses with a finger. The lenses fitted to the thin black frames weren’t prescriptive - he prided himself on his near-perfect vision - but they were most certainly one of his usual go-to accessories whenever there was a need for anonymity. “I live to please.”

“If so, you’ve definitely achieved your purpose,” she informed him. “Why are there so many people here today, though?” It was true; the park was unusually packed with crowds of people, even though it was a weekend.

Should he, should he not? Soonyoung went with the first choice. “It’s the fireworks festival tonight. I’m pretty sure everyone’s here early to try and get the best seats.”

Jihyun’s eyes widened. “I forgot all about it. Shall we grab a good seat somewhere first?”

Soonyoung had to heroically fight the urge to ruffle her hair, billowing behind her as the wind passed by. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, it’s way too early to be sitting on a picnic mat for the entire day.”

“True.” Her face suddenly lit up, and he followed the direction of her gaze to see the array of pop-up stalls by the riverbank, set up in conjunction with the festival, selling everything from handmade items to fried chicken he could smell from where they were. 

Weaving their way carefully between the crowd wandering around the stalls, Soonyoung kept to Jihyun’s side, all the while trying his hardest to find a balance between keeping their movements casually platonic and shielding her from the unavoidable jostling from the people around them. His hands remained firmly in his pockets, afraid that his protective instincts would jump into place and that his hands would find their way over to hers. It wasn’t worth it, he reminded himself, though not without a hint of guilt. 

Their stroll ended with them holding a mug of craft beer each, and a box of fried chicken with a small bowl of tteokbokki. Soonyoung couldn’t help the fond grin on his face as he watched Jihyun munch on the chewy rice cakes, satisfaction and happiness shining through her eyes. “I’m assuming that you harbour passionate feelings towards tteokbokki.”

She nodded fervently, swallowing before she spoke. “There was a tteokbokki stall near the high school Jisoo and I attended,” she told him. “The tteokbokki was sold in small paper cups, and it was... 2,000 won, I think? Every week, the both of us would buy one bowl and share it between ourselves on the bus ride back home, and throw the cup away in one of the rubbish bins in the park near the house, because Jisoo’s mother would flip if she ever found Jisoo snacking. But sometimes I had really, really crazy cravings for tteokbokki. You know, the kind where it would be on my mind the entire day?” Soonyoung nodded, and she continued her story. “I would tell Jisoo about them, but I wouldn’t buy it if we already had our weekly portion, because it wasn’t really that healthy to be constantly consumed, and I didn’t get as much pocket money as Jisoo, which I normally saved up for new clothes, books, stationery and whatnot.” She didn’t catch Soonyoung tensing up at the mention of that, her eyes dreamily wandering across the river in front of them. “Sometimes, Jisoo would tell me that I had to learn how to control my urges, giving me mini lectures on how it was unhealthy to eat too much tteokbokki. Trust me, young Jisoo was a force to be reckoned with. Still is, actually. But sometimes, he’d secretly sneak out of school before me and buy me a cup of tteokbokki with his own pocket money, and would refuse to even take one bite of it, letting me have the entire cup.” The memory had her smiling wistfully as she munched on another sticky rice cake, and Soonyoung made a silent promise to himself that he would always buy the woman sitting beside him all the tteokbokki she wanted, regardless of whether she was craving for them or otherwise. 

Time flew by relatively fast; several performers had set up mini stages around the riverbank to keep the festival attendees occupied as they waited for the grand event later in the evening, and Soonyoung and Jihyun had wandered around, enjoying the various performances ranging from dance to live bands, covering golden classics to the latest pop releases. They never touched, the small distance between them carefully maintained, yet he couldn’t deny that even without any physical contact, his heart was still swelling with simple happiness from being in her mere presence, despite the occasional splash of envy whenever he saw other couples openly sharing their affections. Her bright laughter and huge grins were just a plus, like shooting stars in a stunning starlit night sky. 

If this was all the happiness he could ever get, he’d gratefully accept it. 

“You have got to be kidding me” was all Jihyun could manage to say when she saw where Soonyoung was heading to.

Soonyoung didn’t speak until they’d boarded the cruise ship and were leaning against the rails on the open deck. “This doesn’t fit the mold of a typical first date by the Han River?” He teased lightly.

“I’ll have to do some more research before I can give you a definite answer, but I don’t think it does.” Jihyun looked around the deck in awe, taking in the view of the Han River framed by the Banpo Bridge in the far distance, the sun already setting. She ushered him over to another spot on the deck, and pulled out her phone. “Smile,” she demanded, eyes focused on the screen, camera lens directed at him. Soonyoung complied, and let her drag him all over the cruise ship for what he was sure must’ve amounted to thousands of photos before she stopped. Not because she was already pleased with what she’d taken, but because they’d found themselves standing in front of a photobooth, the kind where you could print out photo strips to keep in your wallet and send the digital copies of the photos to your email. 

Jihyun looked up at him uncertainly. “Can we...”

He didn’t wait for her to finish the sentence before he tugged her past the curtains hanging by the door, settling the both of them down on the white bench to their right. Jihyun was already reading the instructions printed neatly across them. “Four shots, and we can print out two strips,” she summarised. “How are we going to do it?”

“For starters,” Soonyoung said, whipping off his glasses with no little relief, “these are coming off.” He wasn’t going to take photos with Jihyun while being in disguise, especially when there was no need to keep his identity hidden in a tiny booth, where there was no one else but the both of them present. 

“No complaints from me,” Jihyun said cheerfully. “Hello, Mr. Kwon. Where have you been for the past few hours?” There was no hint of reproach nor unhappiness in her face, but he still rubbed his thumb gently along the back of her hand, hoping it could convey his unspoken apology well enough. When he felt her hand turn around to clasp his, he was fairly certain that the smile on his lips was as tender, if not even more, than the one on hers. 

The camera went off in four speedy clicks, and Jihyun was lost in another bout of hysterical giggles when she saw the photo previews. They’d taken two normal shots of them smiling at the camera, and the other two were shots of them pulling faces that would’ve decimated Soonyoung’s reputation in a heartbeat if they ever got out to the public. “I can’t believe our tiger claw poses went so well with that cross-eyed pout,” Jihyun gasped, still stuck in her laughing fit that seemed to happen fairly often, Soonyoung noted. Laughter came easily to her; she would start laughing and laughing until she ended up with stitches and in tears, trying to stop and only succeeding after a few failed attempts.

Soonyoung carefully set his glasses back on his nose, and picked up the two strips of photos that the dispenser spat out. There they were, laughing gaily at the camera, eyes full of joy and, if he dared to say it, love. He looked up to see Jihyun staring fondly at her own strip before packing it carefully in her bag, while he gently slid it into his wallet. “Which one was your favourite?” She asked, as they headed up the stairs to go to the restaurant on the cruise ship where Soonyoung had booked them a table for dinner. 

He had picked out his favourite shot almost instantly upon taking one glance at the previews on the screen earlier; it was the shot where he had slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into his side, his chin resting on her hair while her head rested against his shoulder, eyes crinkled from the identical wide grins on their faces. Carefree, simple - what he desired for them, yet could never have. But he said, “The one with the tiger pose, of course.”

She didn’t seem to have caught on to the lie. “That was a funny one. Well-deserved as your favourite shot.”

Their table was at the far end of the restaurant, by a glass wall with a view of the river and the skyline that had Jihyun catching her breath as she stared at it, unable to tear her eyes away. Soonyoung had sensed her fascination with the magnificient view, and had wordlessly taken it upon himself to grab plate after plate of food from the buffet table. She’d only realised that the food had been served by Soonyoung and not the waiters after shovelling far too much of it into her mouth, and she apologised to Soonyoung hastily, mortified and embarrassed that he’d been doing all the hard work while she was busy gaping out the window. Despite Soonyoung’s gentle assurances that it wasn’t a problem, she’d insisted on grabbing them dessert to make up for it, and Soonyoung, understanding her well enough, had sat back in his seat and waited patiently for her to come back with two heaving plates of everything from the dessert section. That had been another surprise for him; where he had difficulty trying to wolf down all the sweets, she’d easily cleared off all the cakes and tarts on her own plate, and had even snuck some bites off his plate. She’d laughed at his impressed look, explaining that with her sweet tooth, she was never too full for dessert, certainly not tonight. 

“Are we watching the fireworks from our seats here?” Jihyun asked, and Soonyoung shook his head. 

“The view will be much better on deck. We can head over now if you’re done with dinner; they’re scheduled to start in fifteen minutes.”

“Sure.”

“No more dessert?” That earned him a reproachful glare from her, though there was no heat behind it. Chuckling, he led her back up to the open deck, where the other guests were already waiting eagerly for the hour-long fireworks show to start. They settled themselves against the railings, admiring the night view of the city while waiting.

“Have you ever watched the fireworks at the festival?” Jihyun asked, and Soonyoung nodded.

“Twice, before I went to Japan, both times with Jeonghan and Seungcheol. We first watched it at Ichon Han River Park; it was less crowded than Yeouido, and we didn’t mind the fact that there hadn’t been music in the background. The next time was probably a couple of years later, and Seungcheol had gotten us tickets at the Main Event Hall. Front row seats, too.” 

“Which one was better, in your opinion?”

“Well, the company was shitty for both.” He grinned at the peal of laughter from her. “They were both really good experiences, just... different?” The three of them had just been out of high school when they’d watched it the first time round, the experience of being side-by-side with other picnic mats, gasping with amazed wonder at every bang along with the other onlookers and clapping when it ended a whole novelty for the three teenagers. The second time, Seungcheol had purchased the tickets in his capacity as Choi Industries’ heir, Soonyoung and Jeonghan his guests of the night, still in their late teens but forced to be more mature than they truly were for their age. The view had been even better than what they’d gotten at the riverbank, and they’d been surrounded by influential and important-looking people dressed up smartly, curated music playing in the background as accompaniment to the fireworks display, a glass of wine in each of their hands. Both were unique experiences in their own right, and he couldn’t really pick a ‘better’ one.

A gust of wind hit the deck then, and his sharp gaze caught Jihyun shuddering slightly before pulling her thin jacket closer to her body. Concerned, he shucked off his jacket, intending to drape it over her shoulders before he stopped stiffly, jacket in hand, reminding himself that they were surrounded by people, and despite the darkness of the deck, courtesy of the managers who had shut off all the lights so that the guests could enjoy a better view of the bright fireworks, he couldn’t take the risk. Something in his chest ached, but he kept his voice neutral as he caught Jihyun’s eyes and handed her the jacket, telling her to put it on, reminding her that she was still recovering and another cold would mean that she’d be forced to take more days off from work. His quiet concern that she might fall sick hadn’t been convincing enough, but the prospect of having to rest at home had done the trick; she took the jacket over with a murmur of thanks, pulling it over her shoulders and holding onto the sleeves tightly in case it decided to catch a flight with the random breezes. 

The sight of his jacket - which was far too big for her - draped over her shoulders as she stared expectantly at the night sky was enthralling in ways he couldn’t explain, the details of her features lost in the weak illumination coming from the shores. Yet even when the fireworks began, drawing impossibly bright patterns across the sky, his eyes were still on her face, staring at the graceful curve of her lips and the amazed wonder in her eyes where the fireworks were reflected in those dark pupils, the sight of her quiet excitement gripping tightly onto his gaze, refusing to let him go. And when the show ended, when she told him breathlessly that it was wonderful and majestic and beautiful, he didn’t tell her that it had been all that and more for him, watching it through her eyes.

“Thanks for the date.”

They were back in her apartment, cuddling on the couch, the gesture no longer foreign to them, his fingers running through her wind-blown hair absentmindedly as she closed her eyes, enjoying the comforting caresses. “Thank you, too. The company was most definitely better this time round, compared to my previous experiences with the fireworks festival.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Jihyun sat up, grinning at him mischievously. “You do know that if Jeonghan and Seungcheol ever got wind of this, they’d insist on bringing you out next year to prove you wrong.”

Soonyoung scoffed. “Let them try. I might placate their manly egos and tell them that their company is admittedly better than yours, but we’ll both know the truth.”

“Who knows, they might set aside their egos and agree that my company is far more superior than theirs.” 

“You do have the unfair advantage of being a recipient of their overwhelming love.”

A small snort. “Please. Like you’re one to say anything.”

“Fair enough.” Soonyoung hummed, and wondered out loud, “Don’t you think we’ve gotten really good at cuddling, despite this only being our third time doing it?”

“I have to admit, you’re a master cuddler,” Jihyun declared, snuggling closer against his chest, and he reflexively readjusted his hold around her to pull her closer. “I think we can take off the training wheels and declare ourselves amateur cuddlers now.”

“I thought I was a master?”

“Yeah, but that’s you as an individual. As a team, we’re only amateurs. It would be pretentious to deem ourselves masters after only three attempts.”

“Huh.” Deciding that it made sense, Soonyoung nodded, lips pursed. “But I think we’re ready to expand our portfolio.” And before she could ask what he meant, a simple tug of his arm had her half-seated in his lap, the tips of their noses grazing each other’s, her eyes wide open with surprise as she stared into his, where a mischievous light glinted.

Her brain worked fast, and it didn’t even take her a second before her confusion transformed into amusement with a hint of challenge in them. “How do you propose we do that, Mr. Kwon?” Even from their first encounter in the kitchen in the Yoon holiday house, Soonyoung had been intrigued with how Jihyun’s voice was a tad lower than most women’s when she spoke in normal tones, not too deep enough to be mistaken for a man, yet the lower register exceptionally unique and instantly impressionable. The tone went up slightly when she was excited or happy, and the change was most obvious when she was laughing freely, the light sound undoubtedly one of his favourites. Right now, her voice was anything but high, the sultry low timbre kindling the heat in his chest, sensual and inviting, a perfect match with the look in her eyes, which were steadily trained on Soonyoung’s own gaze.

The moment their lips pressed against each other’s, Soonyoung nearly gasped in relief at the sudden onslaught of sensations. It wasn’t Soonyoung’s first kiss; far from it, actually. But he finally understood what the love songs were singing about when they spoke about feelings when it came to intimacy, finally understood how different it was compared to messing with strangers who he never ever met again after spending the night together. He had never had the opportunity to realise that intimacy sans feelings had merely been a momentary pleasure, perhaps only akin to drinking a glass of wine at a wine-tasting ceremony. But this? It was like taking a gulp of water when he didn’t know that he’d been dehydrated, and he absorbed every single touch greedily, his brain effectively shutting down, the only sound he could hear was his roaring heartbeat, mingled with the occasional sigh or gasp, though he wasn’t sure if it was his or hers. 

They broke apart momentarily, staring at each other wild-eyed, her hair fluffily messed up as a result from his hands, lips tantalisingly red and swollen. “We need more practice,” Jihyun managed, and he wasn’t sure if it was the irresistible pull of her low voice, or the utterly kissed-out expression in her face, or was it just Jihyun in general, but he didn’t waste any time, capturing her lips with the efficiency he usually reserved for boardroom meetings. 

And when he woke up the next day in his own bed, despite being alone with no one else slumbering on the sheets beside him, his heart felt as full in a way he never thought it could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just needed to get their first date and first kiss off my to-do list. 
> 
> If you’ve read the Bridgertons before the Netflix adaptation came out, join the club. I loved the series - Benedict and Colin’s books especially. If you love historical romances that are written with the same witty humour, I’d definitely recommend Lisa Kleypas, especially her Hathaways series. My best friend and I are so in love with that series, we can literally recite passages from it, word for word. For instance: “I have a very democratic view of manure - it’s all shit to me.”
> 
> Also, reading back, I realise that I project my love for Hoshi in shirtsleeves in this story a lot. But hello? KCON NY Hoshi singing Seungkwan’s opening line to Adore U made me a horangdan instantly. And Light A Flame???? 
> 
> I wonder if you could guess who my other ultimate biases are from how I’ve written their characters here. I actually didn’t realise that I’d subconsciously placed my ultimate biases as pretty major characters here who play more than a supporting role. Comment if you can guess! Thanks for reading :)


	39. Chapter Thirty-Eight

“Get it out.”

“What?”

With a roll of her eyes, Jihyun leaned against the divider between their desks. “You’ve been sending me weird furtive glances the entire morning. Have you conveniently forgotten that our divider isn’t fully opaque?” She gave said divider a pat, and Mingyu grimaced.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were fine, that’s all.”

Jihyun scoffed. “That was probably one of the weakest lies you’ve ever told, and I was there when you told Mr. Lee you thought that the green tea you got him was a mug of coffee.”

“I was-“

“Gyu, it was a glass glass. Literally. Transparent, fully transparent.”

Mingyu groaned, remembering the acute embarrassment from that incident. “Ugh, why do you have to bring that up?”

“I wouldn’t have needed to if you would tell the truth,” Jihyun mused, a steely glint in her eyes. “I’ve been back to work for two weeks now, and as much as a fussy mother hen you are, you’re not that overbearing. Speak, Kim Mingyu.”

The final command had him sighing in defeat, putting the pen in his hand down. “Fine. But it’s not pretty.”

Concerned, Jihyun tugged her chair over and sat down beside him. “Are you and Wonwoo okay?”

“Wh-we’re okay!” Flustered, Mingyu exclaimed, only to have several pairs of curious eyes look in their direction. As Jihyun banged her head against the divider as a wordless sign of her giving up all hope on her colleague, Mingyu apologised quickly to the people he’d pulled away from their work before sitting down again, his face as red as a tomato. “We’re okay,” he repeated in a low voice. “It’s about you, actually. I wasn’t really lying about that part.”

“Oh?”

With great reluctance, Mingyu reiterated the story of Soonyoung’s visit to Wonwoo’s bookstore, all the while observing his friend’s expressions. He may not have known Jihyun longer than Mr. Lee, but he had the advantage of spending almost the entire day with her by his side. Her poker face was a good one, but Mingyu was one of the few who could easily pick up all the minute changes in her expression. Yet even at the end of the story, Jihyun hadn’t even batted an eyelash, her eyes just as serene and calm as they had been before he’d started talking.

“That’s it?” She asked when Mingyu’s voice died away, her tone light and casual.

Uncertain of her reception towards the incident, Mingyu nodded slowly, only to have his eyes nearly pop out of his head when she sent him another eye roll. “What did I do to deserve two eye rolls in ten minutes?” He hissed, injured. 

The look she shot him was one that clearly said ‘you’re my friend and I love you but you’re such an idiot sometimes’. “Gyu ah, I’ve long resolved myself to the fact that Kw-the man,” she caught herself before she could drop names that she most certainly was not supposed to drop in the middle of their office, “hates me. The feeling is mutual. Plus, if I’d wanted to live my life expecting every single person I meet to like me, I wouldn’t have chosen this career path. So don’t worry your head over it, Gyu ah.” She smiled softly, and Mingyu was confused - there was no sign that she was lying, none whatsoever, but how could she be so... indifferent over the fact that Kwon Soonyoung, CEO of Yoon Enterprises and now someone who could most certainly find ways to make her life at the office difficult, hated her for no apparent reason? 

Jihyun patted his shoulder comfortingly before rolling herself back to her desk, and Mingyu scratched his head in frustration.

Damn it, Jihyun was too kind for this world. 

To:

Mingyu and Wonwoo are of the opinion that you see me as your nemesis.

From:

Sorry, jagiya, was in a meeting

Is this because of the bookstore incident?

I had to get you books that you didn’t already have

It was a desperate attempt

I swear I didn’t mean any of it, jagiya

To:

Youngie, I know.

Don’t worry about it

If anything I found it kinda funny

Does this mean we’re going for ‘deep burning hatred’ in front of our friends?

From:

If you’re okay with it?

But Jeonghan and Seungcheol might be on my ass for that 

Not to mention Jihoon 

Is it okay for me to secretly admit that I’m a little afraid of Jihoon

To:

That just makes you normal.

*****

From:

Highlight tonight, 7pm.

To:

Might be a little late but I’ll be there

Who’s joining?

From: 

Me, Han, Soo, Ji, Seokmin

Invite Hansol too and bring anyone else you want

To: 

I’ll let Hansol know

See you

From:

Hyun might be joining, depending on whether she can finish off her stuff by then 

To:

I think I’ll pass

Something came up

From:

Lol 

You don’t even try and hide it, huh?

To:

Hide what?

From:

Why do you hate her so much?

You know that Han would be skinning and feeding you to Kkuma if he ever found out that you hate her, right?

Best friends or not

She’s like a sister to all of us

To:

I don’t hate her.

We just don’t get along

And the feeling’s mutual

Might want to talk to her too, instead of pushing the blame on me.

Let me know if I need to push whatever came up to a later date

From:

Ugh

Fine

*****

“ _They say your first is always your hardest, and now I think I know why._ ” Jihyun’s voice was like a glass of warm milk, rich and calming, lulling Soonyoung’s tired mind into a comfortable state of half-consciousness. “ _It’s not hard thinking about how it ended, it only hurts when you think about how all of it began._ ” 

Work tired him out recently even more than it before, and even though he knew that Jihyun would never hold a grudge against him for passing on their regular date nights in her apartment in lieu for a few more hours’ of sleep in his own bed, he had stubbornly refused to cancel their dates, soothing her concerned frustrations with kisses and cuddles. Sleeping recharged him physically, but seeing her and being able to spend time with her was the mental boost he desperately needed to get through the week. It didn’t matter if they usually ended up doing their own stuff - him with his ever-present documents to review and her with her files on her laptop - or did typical date nights cuddled in front of the TV watching movies; as long as it was Jihyun, he never cared about the other minor details. 

“What are you reading?” Soonyoung had asked once when he had been apologetically occupied with work at her dinner table, and she’d looked up from the red volume in her hand, smiling at him across the table. 

“Poems.”

“Would you read to me?”

So here they were again, Soonyoung’s head resting in Jihyun’s lap, his eyes closed, her fingers stroking his cheeks slowly as she read from the book carefully grasped in her other hand. He heard her carefully flip through the book with one hand, the fingers on his face never stopping their hypnotising rhythm. 

“ _There is no width or length, that could measure our love. For you are my pillar of strength, broken hearts could only dream of._

“ _The foundation of my confidence, and the core of my existence. Improvement, there’s always room, perfection would surely come soon._

“ _I’m glad, that I no longer shall roam. For I have finally found my fate, my home._ ”

Listening to Jihyun recite poetry in her soft-spoken voice, her pronunciation of the words written in the foreign language precise and clear, intonations and cadences in place whenever the words required them, was an experience that Soonyoung dearly wished would forever be his exclusive privilege. He wouldn’t mind coming home to this every day, having her voice and beautiful words wash away his weariness like gentle waves. 

“Shall I continue?” Jihyun asked softly, and he opened his eyes to see her smiling down at him with fondness on her face. 

“You’re my home,” he told her, and watched the soft glow on her face bloom into brilliant joy.

Perhaps he should have said “I wish you could be my home”, which would have been more semantically correct in their situation. But selfish as it was, knowing deep down in his heart that he could never be anything but a stopping point in her life, a hotel instead of a permanent home, he had to say it, had to tell her, even if it were only hopeful wishing on his part. 

*****

The Christmas party at Jeonghan’s had been a warm and festive event with all of their friends present. Jihyun had pulled Hansol during the Secret Santa draw that Jeonghan had enthusiastically organised, and his excited exclamations that had gone on for a whole hour after opening his gift had been a wonderful Christmas gift for her.

Soonyoung had sneakily accessed his assistant’s computer during a lunch break, and had compiled a tentative wishlist of Hansol’s based on his browser history, which had been majorly dominated by sneakers and beanies, which, Soonyoung claimed, were two of Hansol’s biggest loves in the world. 

One of the items on the wishlist had snagged her attention almost instantly, being a pair of sneakers from THE8’s last season. The price had made her eyes go as wide as the soufflé pancakes she loved, and she’d nearly chosen something else that was actually within her budget, until Soonyoung reminded her that with the sneakers being from the last season, if she talked to Minghao directly, she would most certainly be able to snag a much better deal that could rival the other sneakers on Hansol’s wishlist. “You’d be spending almost the same amount of money anyway,” he’d reasoned, “so why not get Hansol the best of the best?”

She’d gotten Minghao’s number from Jeonghan, and the designer hadn’t hesitated with the major discount he offered her. When she’d protested, Minghao had merely laughed. “Our friendship aside, the price would have been marked down in a few more months anyway,” he told her. “Take it as my Christmas gift for you and Hansol as well, as a thank you for his appreciation of my work.”

Her Secret Santa had been Seungkwan, who had gotten her a box of artisan chocolate from one of the most renowned chocolatiers in the country, bringing genuine tears of happiness to her eyes, much to the amusement of her friends. “None of you get it,” she sniffed, cradling the elegant box in her arms as tenderly as if it were her firstborn. 

“Now you’ve done it, Kwan.” Sighing, Jisoo ruffled the younger man’s hair. “She’ll never settle for anything lesser ever again.”

“You didn’t get me this box of wonderful, wonderful chocolate, so you don’t get to judge,” she retorted. “Thank you so much, Kwannie.”

From:

I knew you loved chocolate

But I didn’t know that your love for chocolate ran that deep

To:

Now you know

Their group of friends had tiptoed around Jihyun and Soonyoung, ensuring that there was always some distance maintained between the both of them, careful not to force them into any conversations. They played along, keeping up the facade of two people who couldn’t stand each other but had come to a temporary truce for the sake of the festivities, pointedly ignoring each other while interacting with their friends, all the while sending random texts to each other whenever they had the chance.

And neither of their friends needed to know that they’d set off on a day trip to Nami Island the very next day, their second date out in public. They’d maintained the casual distance of two inches between them, and Soonyoung’s glasses were back in action, but he looked far more relaxed than he had been compared to their last outing, most likely due to the fact that they were surrounded by more tourists than people who would’ve easily recognised him in a heartbeat. 

Their date had ended with tons of photos of each other taken around the photogenic island, and a make-out session on Jihyun’s couch that had taken nearly all of Soonyoung’s willpower to stop himself before he could do something he would truly regret. “We always end up here,” he commented wryly, noting the way his voice sounded much huskier than it normally did. 

Jihyun chuckled. “That we do. Are you complaining?”

“Definitely not.” The haze in his mind had cleared a little, and he manoeuvred himself to the side, careful not to crush her with his weight, and she immediately snuggled into the crook of his arm under her neck.

“Can I ask you something?” Jihyun said, breaking the companionable silence between them. 

“Sure, jagiya.”

“Have you thought about-“ she hesitated, and sighed. “How do I ask without making myself sound too eager?”

A hum rumbled in his chest. “You mean taking this to the bedroom?”

Jihyun let out a scandalised snort, but hid her head closer to his chest. “Way to be direct, Mr. Kwon. But yes, that.”

Soonyoung was quiet for a moment as he searched for the words that would convey his thoughts most accurately. “In case you were feeling somewhat insecure, let me first clarify that I do find you attractive, jagiya. But... I can’t give you more than what we have now, and you’re far more than just a friend with benefits to me. When this ends,” he said softly, fingers finding purchase in her soft locks, “when this ends, I’ll be hurting, whether or not I show it. You matter so much to me, I don’t even think you realise how much. And call me selfish, but if we took that further step... I don’t want to add on to the pain. Any enjoyment I’d get from it now would never be worth the haunting memories afterwards, especially when you’ve already given me so many wonderful memories to keep; I don’t need the extra reminder of why my life will always be better with you in it.”

She was silent in his arms, but the small patch of wet warmth on his shirt that pressed against his chest exposed her almost immediately. He only tightened his arms around her, and if she’d felt the similar warmth seeping into her hair, she said nothing either. 

*****

Jihyun stared at her barefaced reflection in the mirror, water that she’d splashed on her face still dripping down her cheeks, no traces of sleepiness in her eyes despite having only dragged herself out of bed a couple of minutes ago, and thought to herself: I’m in love with Kwon Soonyoung.

It wasn’t as earth-shattering a realisation than she’d thought it would be. Perhaps her face as a tad paler than normal - or perhaps that was just her bathroom lights - but her heart was calm, her mind clear, her entire being totally accepting of the fact that she was in love with Kwon Soonyoung.

She’d went and done the one thing she shouldn’t have done, she mused, still staring at herself in the mirror, wondering why she’d gotten herself into this awkward position, only to realise with no little clarity a second later that if she were given a chance to choose again, she would’ve still chosen to take the leap with Soonyoung unconditionally.

It would’ve seemed as though she was selling herself short, stuck in a sort-of relationship with a man that could never show her any affection beyond closed doors, let alone a future together. The happiness that Soonyoung had brought into her life for the past few months was immeasurable, regardless of whether or not it would be worth all the pain she would have to face the moment this - whatever this was - ended. 

Foolish in love, perhaps, but not completely. She’d always remembered that Soonyoung would need to leave her one day, remembered that it was all a temporary fairytale, but that had never stopped her from giving Soonyoung her whole and even more. When they would finally have to truly become the people their friends thought they were now - the duo that disliked each other immensely and ignored each other at all times - she wondered if she would ever be able to truly hate Soonyoung. Unlikely; she had willingly walked into this partnership with an open eye, and it would be most decidedly unfair to Soonyoung if she were to hold a grudge against him for the finale to their story that she had known from the beginning.

She would keep it fair, she reminded herself. Her feelings were her own, and she would not guilt-trip Soonyoung into a difficult position merely because she was in love with him. Their time together and her feelings were to be something she would take to her grave, and whatever heartbreak that she might suffer would be her own to bear. 

So it was most certainly not a conscious decision of hers to blurt out a confession the next time she saw Soonyoung.

“I love you,” Jihyun whispered absentmindedly against Soonyoung’s chest as they stood by her door, Soonyoung preparing to head home after their usual date night at her place. The three words slipped out before she realised it, but the damage had been done; she carefully extracted herself from Soonyoung’s embrace the moment she felt Soonyoung stiffen with shock. “I didn’t mean to say that,” she said slowly, her mind too occupied with scrutinising Soonyoung’s facial expressions to dwell on the pang that had shot through her chest at his reaction. “I’m sorry. Have a safe drive home.”

But he didn’t open the door and leave, only stared at her with shock and bitterness in his eyes. “Don’t do this to me,” he said hoarsely. 

“I didn’t mean to.” She kept her eyes on his, kept her tone neutral. “Take it any way you want, but please understand that I did not mean for it to come out.” Not this way, at least, but that was only said in her own mind. 

“I can’t-“

“Young ah.” She reached out, wanting to take one of his clenched fists in her hand to attempt to soothe him, but froze when he flinched away from her approach, her arms hanging in midair before dropping back to her sides. She fought against the rising flood of emotions, and waited silently for Soonyoung to speak.

“Did you mean it?” He asked quietly. 

She shook her head. “That’s unfair, Young.” Wasn’t it? Admitting that she loved him would do nothing more than cause extra pain for the both of them, something neither of them needed. Wearily, she wished she could go back in time, just a few minutes back to stop her loose tongue from being too caught up in the moment. 

“Did you mean it?”

“And if I did?” She countered, watching him take a deep breath before looking away without answering. “I thought so. I meant it,” she breathed, watching the whites around his knuckles turn a few shades paler as he clenched his fists tighter. She wondered if he was still breathing, his figure as still as a sculpture. “I didn’t mean for it to come out, but if you want to know, I meant it. I don’t expect you to feel the same way, Young, and I know that this is going to end, sooner or later. But please don’t let it end before it needs to just because of a slip of my tongue,” she pleaded, uncaring whether it sounded desperate. 

“It won’t. I need this far more than you know.” Murmuring, Soonyoung finally met her gaze, and she nearly recoiled at the emptiness in those eyes. “Goodnight, Jihyun.”

She wasn’t sure if it was the use of her name or the entire encounter that had her slumping down on her floor against the wall, staying there and staring into oblivion for a long, long time after Soonyoung left. 

*****

It would have been so easy for him to reciprocate, Soonyoung thought to himself as he drove away from the apartment complex that had become a regular destination for him. To tell her he loved her too, because who was he to deny that he was irrevocably in love with Jung Jihyun?

Falling in love had been a slow drop; the bud had started forming from that night of whiskey and stories, and had perhaps fully blossomed into a breathtaking flower sometime between the third or fourth time he’d managed to make her laugh with genuine delight. He’d always known; he’d just been too cowardly to face it. 

Cowardly, because he knew that the flower would soon wither, because he could offer her nothing more than stolen kisses and romance behind closed doors. Not without Jeonghan-

Jeonghan.

Ten minutes later, he found himself pressing the doorbell outside Jeonghan’s unit impatiently, leaning his full weight against the tiny button until the door swung open, revealing an extremely annoyed Jeonghan in the doorway, blond hair unbound and framing his face. “Was that necessary?” He demanded as he stepped aside to let Soonyoung in.

“It wouldn’t have been if you’d let me in sooner.” Soonyoung kicked off his shoes and slipped his feet into the fluffy guest slippers by the door before making his way towards the living room. “Look, I need to-“ He stopped in his footsteps when he realised that Jeonghan wasn’t home alone. 

“Hello, Soonyoung.” An amused Minghao greeted him from Jeonghan’s couch, a glass of wine in his hand, and Soonyoung belatedly registered the soft jazz playing in the background. Wait, wait-

“You guys are dating?”

Minghao lifted an eyebrow. “That was fast.”

“Wha-wha-“

A sudden knock of knuckles to the back of his head had him letting out a howl that contrasted greatly with the music that was still playing. “We’re not dating,” Jeonghan clarified as he walked over and settled down beside Minghao. “What, friends can’t have a wine night together?”

“I’ve never had a wine night with either of you, so I wouldn’t know!” Soonyoung spluttered indignantly. 

Jeonghan shook his head exasperatedly. “Hets. Anyway, what brings you here?” He picked up his wine glass and swirled it around idly, waiting for Soonyoung to answer. 

“You promised that you would help me resolve the.... issue, when I first got back from Japan.” 

The wine glass stilled. “I did. But you and I both know this isn’t something that can easily be settled, otherwise it would’ve been done a long long time ago.”

Frustrated, Soonyoung leaned back against the armchair, closing his eyes as he struggled to compose himself. Jeonghan looked at his friend, eyes piercing as he asked, “What brought this on? You’ve waited for years, yet here you are without any warning. Not that I don’t want to help, but...” Jeonghan cocked his head to one side, curiosity glinting in his eyes. “What brought this on?” His eyes were so focused on Soonyoung, he missed the knowing spark that flitted through Minghao’s gaze before it was carefully schooled into neutral indifference. 

“A sudden desperation for freedom,” Soonyoung murmured, eyes still closed. “Freedom to love whom I want, to choose whom I want without my entire life hanging in the balance.”

Sorrow clouded Jeonghan’s face. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be. Just help me solve this; that’s all I need.”

The moment Soonyoung and Minghao left, Jeonghan picked up his phone, thumb wavering over a number he rarely dialled; there were too many memories associated with the owner of that number, and only a smattering few happy ones. But he’d made a promise, hadn’t he? He wanted them to be happy too. And with that reminder occupying his thoughts, he pressed ‘dial’.

“What happened with Jihyun?” Minghao asked quietly as he stared at the dark silhouette of the side profile of Soonyoung in the driver’s seat beside him. Soonyoung hadn’t mentioned her during the talk with Jeonghan, but Minghao knew that she was the only reason that could’ve brought Soonyoung to Jeonghan’s doorstep tonight.

Soonyoung started the car. “I’m in love with her.” He pulled out of the parking slot, and drove past the tall, intimidating gates. “And she told me she loves me.” The car cruised down the empty roads, heading towards Minghao’s own place. “I own many things,” he said in a mocking tone. “Power, money, friends. How ironic is it, Hao, that I cannot own the one thing I want most in my life?”

Minghao studied Soonyoung’s bitter smile, and said, “Pull over.”

“What?”

“Just for a moment.”

The minute the car stopped by the roadside, Minghao was unbuckling his seatbelt and leaning over to take his friend into his arms. The jolt that coursed through Soonyoung’s figure revealed his surprise at the sudden embrace, but he relaxed into it, letting out a sigh as he rested his head on Minghao’s shoulder. “It feels so horrible,” he said brokenly. 

Minghao said nothing, patting Soonyoung gently on the back, hoping Soonyoung could find some comfort in his warmth, even if it wasn’t the hug he needed the most at this very moment. He didn’t apologise; if it had been unnecessary coming from the man directly involved in this entire situation, it was most certainly unnecessary coming from him. 

“Hao?”

“Hmm?”

“Why were you at Jeonghan’s?”

“Wine night, like he said. But if you had asked me a few months ago, the answer would’ve been different.” 

Soonyoung sat up straight and stared at Minghao with pure undiluted horror, but Minghao knew that it wasn’t because of his sexuality, but because of the person he’d been involved with. “You guys were dating?”

Minghao let out an amused laugh. “No. But we were sleeping with each other up until a couple of months ago.”

Incredulity replaced the horror in Soonyoung’s eyes, and he blinked rapidly. “You and Jeonghan were - you know what?” He threw up his hands and shook them. “Nope, I don’t want to know, not at all. But Seungcheol - nope, nope, nope. But why’d you end it?” He added, despite his seemingly determined efforts to not ask about their relationship.

Minghao fiddled with the sleeve of his sweater. “I’ve been seeing Junhui recently.”

The loud sound of a smack resounded within the small enclosed space of the car. “Yah, Xu Minghao! Am I or am I not your best friend? Why don’t you tell me anything?”

*****

The next morning, Seungcheol, Jeonghan, and Soonyoung’s phones buzzed with the same message, sent from a number from their past. 

_ I look forward to seeing you in three days. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poems are excerpts from Midnight Monologues by Charissa Ong. You can read more of her works at @cotypoems on Instagram!
> 
> Also I can’t believe this has gotten more than 200 hits already! As a story that and mainly revolves around an original female character, I was most definitely expecting it to just flop (don’t judge me; 200 hits for me is already pretty crazy IMO). And we’re finally nearing the end of this entire ride! 
> 
> I have finals next month, so I might be slow on updating this (or I might procrastinate and finish it in one go) but as I’ve said previously, the entire storyline has been fixed; I just need the time to write. So if you were worried about subscribing or bookmarking a fic that would be abandoned, fret not.


	40. Chapter Thirty-Nine

The one-hour drive was like riding a bike; he hadn’t done it in years, but remembered every detail of it, remembered every single twist and turn in the roads without needing to use a map. When he finally stopped in front of his destination, he took a moment to savour the changes that had happened to the house ever since he left; the fresh coat of paint, the new cars in the driveway, and the unmerciful age that was written on the face and figure of the woman standing by the front door, looking at the car with mild curiosity, wondering who was behind the heavily tinted windows. 

But it was still home.

Soonyoung rolled down the window, and watched as stunned disbelief flashed across the woman’s face. Her lips moved, but he was too far away to hear her speak, though he could hazard a guess. He rolled the window back up, turned off the engine and got out of the car, walking down the driveway that had seemed so long to him when he had much shorter legs, stopping in front of the woman and giving her a deep bow. 

“Eomma.”

“Young ah.” His mother’s voice was a mere whisper as she looked up at him, emotions swimming in her eyes. He realised with an jolt that he had grown taller since the last time he had saw his mother; where she used to reach his shoulders, she now only reached him mid-chest. She may have gotten older - the wrinkles on her face were clear evidence of that - but her eyes were still as bright and sharp as they had been before he left home. “When did you get back?”

“A few months ago.” He didn’t explain why his first destination upon setting foot in the country had not been his family home, nor did he explain why he had never came home until today. The woman in front of him would understand his reluctance to be back in a place that was a stark reminder of the seal of imprisonment on his freedom.

“Are you back for good?” His mother asked cautiously as she observed her son’s features, drinking in every line and curve that she hadn’t seen for far too long. Seeing him all grown up and sitting in his usual spot at the dining table - she still needed a moment to process the fact that her son was here, that he was home.

Soonyoung took a sip of his tea, a taste that had long been kept securely in his compartment of treasured memories until today. “I don’t know yet. You would have received the summons as well, I suppose.”

She nodded, her expression troubled. “Young ah, we all know what he’ll demand of you. Are you planning to-“

“No.”

Years ago, he had said yes, had foolishly thought that he could sacrifice his true happiness to make up for the mistake he had committed. Now, he would say no, because he’d realised that it hadn’t been an issue of finger-pointing. He regretted his actions, but he no longer felt that his life was a proportionate form of redemption. He would be lying if he said that the prospect of losing everything he now owned wasn’t terrifying, but he had made up his mind. After all, here he was.

His mother didn’t seem surprised at his declaration. “You seem to have a plan.”

He let out a short laugh. “No, eomma. But Jeonghan and I... we’re working on it.” God knows Jeonghan wanted to get him out of this hellhole as much as he wanted to climb out of it. 

“Jeonghan.” His mother murmured the name of the boy she’d once treated as her own, another child who had drifted away from her life after Soonyoung had left. “And Seungcheol?”

He understood the unspoken question. “We made up.”

“Good. That’s good to hear. Are they well?”

He thought about their convoluted love story, decided that his mother did not need to hear about their never-ending circle of pushing and pulling, and merely nodded. “As well as they can be, eomma.”

She nodded, the only sign of her troubled feelings being the near-silent taps of her fingertips on the table. “Young ah.” Her voice was slow, hesitant. “Jeonghan will ultimately have to submit as well. Remember that, in case things do not go the way you wanted them to and you find yourself tempted to snap at Jeonghan. I am sure that he would try his very best to help, but he can only do so much.”

Dinner had been a simple and quiet affair with the addition of his father, who had expressed the same quiet pleasure at finally being reunited with his son. Now, as Soonyoung lay on his childhood bed in his room, which had been kept in the precise condition as he’d left it, surrounded by posters of SHINee on his walls, he stared into the darkness, mind occupied with the what-ifs that would take place in a few more hours. 

He was tempted to sneak a look at his phone, but dismissed the notion quickly; the exposure to blue light would be of no help to his current state of being unable to fall asleep. 

Plus, if none of the quick glances he’d shot at the screen every half an hour throughout the entire day had given him the notification he wanted, he doubted that it would be any different now at 2 in the morning.

The only texts that he’d received throughout the day had been from Hansol, who’d been left behind to take care of the office, and Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who’d asked if he wanted to grab a lift tomorrow. He’d approved all of Hansol’s updates, and had informed Seungcheol and Jeonghan about his whereabouts, telling them that he’d see the both of them tomorrow. 

But there has been no text from Jihyun, their chat slowly falling lower and lower down the list of messages as the number of days that they hadn’t texted each other increased. The last message had been a ‘goodnight’ from Jihyun, sent in reply to his ‘I’m home’ text, the date being four nights ago, after they’d left the future of their relationship hanging by a thin thread of uncertainty. 

He hadn’t told her about this visit, not wanting to get her hopes up for them to crash and explode into unsalvageable smithereens in the event he and Jeonghan failed. It may be slim, but the small sliver of hope was the only thing keeping him grounded now. If they were to fail... he would rather suffer the consequences alone than have her sharing the burden. 

“ _Damn it, Soonyoung! You put me through all this for, for - who gave you the right to make decisions for both of us, when we’re both involved in this?”_

_ “You don’t deserve anything less! No one deserves someone who’d be giving them no guarantees, no future, nothing, for that matter! It’s not about me making decisions for us, it’s me doing-“ _

_ “What you thought was best for us? News flash: that’s you making decisions for us!”  _

The flashback to the night where she’d told him that she would take whatever they could get, the night that had been the ending to his angsty pining and the prelude to months of happiness, had him wondering if she would understand his decision to make decisions for them alone this time. 

Please, wait for me. 

*****

Like his own family home, the Yoon family manor was located on the outskirts of town, where it would be quieter and far more suitable for the main occupant of the house compared to the hustle and bustle of the city.

Also, there wouldn’t have been any space in the city centre for the sprawling expanse of land that made up the estate.

The fifteen-minute drive was smooth, and when Soonyoung pulled up beside his parents’ car in the driveway of the manor, a familiar face immediately came over with a quick bow.

“Young master Kwon. My, my, I haven’t seen you in years.” 

Soonyoung smiled, and the older man returned it with one that crinkled the corners of his eyes and mouth. “Hello, Mr. Park. I’m glad you’re still here.”

“As am I, young master.” The family butler, who had been there watching over all of them even before they were out of their mothers’ wombs, took his car keys and coat before guiding him in past the majestic double doors, down the marble hallway that used to be the trio’s favourite spot for races - it was certainly long enough - which was decorated with different artworks from what he remembered, but were still extremely valuable, even to his untrained eye. 

Mr. Park finally stopped in front of a door near the end of the ground floor, which Soonyoung knew led to one of the few conference rooms in the manor. They used to sneak in, feeling very grown-up as they climbed up onto the huge office chairs, legs dangling halfway off the ground, discussing the snacks they wanted to have for tea time or the next game they should play with the intensity that they still maintained now when it came to making important business decisions. “In you go, young master Kwon. All the guests have arrived,” the old butler added.

Soonyoung thanked him, and before his nerves could shoot out from his skin, pushed down the door handle and let himself into the room.

Indeed, everyone had arrived. His parents were seated near to the head of the table, across a man and two other women their age that Soonyoung hadn’t realised he had missed so much until his gaze fell on their stunned faces, looking at him with incredulous joy. Jeonghan and Seungcheol were seated next to each other beside their parents, and were murmuring quietly amongst themselves until he’d arrived. 

But the main character was seated at the head of the table, his old face still intimidating despite the wrinkles and white hair, and his lips curved up into a smile as he set his eyes upon Soonyoung. “Soonyoung,” the patriarch of the Yoon family greeted him, voice strong and bold. “A face that I haven’t seen in a long, long time.”

He bowed deeply, still standing by the door, greeting his elders as he straightened again. “It is nice to see all of you. I hope you’re well.”

Seungcheol’s mother nodded, eyes shining as she smiled at him. “We are, Soonyoung. Come, have a seat, tell us all about Japan.”

“You never even told us Soonyoung was back,” Jeonghan’s mother scolded her son reproachfully, and her husband nodded disapprovingly beside her. 

Jeonghan shrugged nonchalantly. “Must’ve slipped my mind, eomma.”

An amused chuckle came from the man at the head of the table. “You’re telling me you pulled that stint with Seungcheol without the express intention of luring Soonyoung back here? I raised you better than that when it came to lying, Jeonghan.”

“And I wonder what that says about you, halabeoji,” Jeonghan countered, smiling innocently at his grandfather, whose eyes darkened at the insolence of his grandson. Before he could explode - it hadn’t even been five minutes - Soonyoung intervened.

“Japan was nice,” he said politely, settling into the seat beside his father. “But let’s not waste any time, shall we? Halabeonim has matters to discuss with us, it seems, and it would be best for us to get it settled as speedily as possible.”

Approval shone on the patriarch’s wizened face, and he leaned forward. “This is why I am eager to welcome you into our family, Soonyoung. You get things done,” he said, emphasising every word. “Look at the growth you’ve brought to the company! But we’re not here to wax lyricals over your abilities, Soonyoung, fine as they are.” Those eyes fixed on him, and Soonyoung had to fight the urge to gulp like a rookie that was unused to stressful situations. “So tell me, Soonyoung, will six months be enough for the wedding to be planned?”

You can do this, he told himself. You can do this. You can do this.

“I don’t wish to continue with the wedding, halabeonim.”

The lack of emotion on the old man’s face was a clear indication that he had expected this response from Soonyoung, and Soonyoung wondered how many steps forward had his cunning mind, still sharp and witty despite his age, thought of. “You said that years ago, Soonyoung,” he said, bored indifference in his tone, “so what makes this different?”

“The realisation that I deserve to make my own choices.” 

Jeonghan’s grandfather snorted. “You are where you are today,” he hissed darkly, “because we put you here. You are not where you are today because of the choices you made. So forgive me, Soonyoung, if I see no merit in that reason.”

“I don’t think Soonyoung could bear the weight of your forgiveness,” Jeonghan drawled, masking the fact that he was here in all seriousness and not to jest or joke around for fun. “But I support his request. The marriage would never have ended up a happy one; look at us now. No one is happy, halabeoji. It was a mistake from the very beginning.”

His grandfather’s face clouded over with fury; he disliked any form of weakness, and telling him that he had made a mistake was most certainly a reminder of his own. “All I want is for Soonyoung to manage my company!”

“And he can do it without marrying into the family!” Jeonghan retorted, raising his voice. “Soonyoung wouldn’t hesitate to continue as CEO of Yoon Corporation even if you weren’t binding him to that stupid marriage!”

“You are running on the assumption that I would want him as the CEO if he were to insist on breaking his promise,” his grandfather growled. “I assure you, I would not. Furthermore-“ those dark eyes glint with malice, “you are speaking as though you would be competent enough to take on the responsibility of managing Yoon Corporation alone, Jeonghan. Are you?”

The arrow hit the mark, and colour leeched out of Jeonghan’s face instantly. Soonyoung’s heart ached for his friend, whose efforts have always been taken lightly by his family, no matter how hard he tried. “Halabeonim.” He spoke up, keeping his voice steady. “I am grateful for the opportunities that you have given me. But I must insist on not proceeding any further with the marriage. Fire me if you must.”

“Oh, rest assured, Soonyoung, I would most definitely fire you should I decide to call it off.” The older man cocked his head. “But what about your family? Or have you forgotten that almost all members of your family hold positions in various companies under Yoon Corporation?”

Beside him, Soonyoung’s father stiffened in his seat, though he remained silent. Soonyoung’s mind had gone blank, and he could see that Jeonghan had found himself in the same predicament. 

They hadn’t expected his grandfather to threaten the livelihood of his other family members. His father, head of a logistics company under Yoon Corporation. His sisters, managers in two different asset management companies under Yoon Corporation. His cousins, uncles-

“I would,” Jeonghan’s grandfather said, as casually as if they were discussing the weather. “They’d be free to find jobs otherwise, so long as the companies aren’t affiliated with ours. That’s fair, isn’t it?”

“Are you so wretched-“ Jeonghan whispered disbelievingly, “that you would ruin the lives of others just to get something done your way? Something that benefits no one else, literally, not even you?”

“Do not make any rash decisions,” Soonyoung’s father suddenly murmured, though his eyes were still looking straight. Soonyoung wanted to tell him that right now, he wasn’t in any fit state to make any decisions, rash or otherwise. 

“I would not hesitate in exposing to the press how you forced Soonyoung’s hand in this,” Jeonghan was saying, “and I will not give a care in the world when Yoon Corporation suffers from the backlash.”

“You forgot about all the employees that would suffer from your childish act. This is why you can’t be left alone, Jeonghan!”

For the first time ever since the meeting started, Seungcheol spoke up. “Halabeonim, this discussion is clearly getting nowhere.” Where Jeonghan was emotional, Seungcheol was calm and steady. “Soonyoung’s intentions otherwise, have you conveniently forgotten the fact that the current stalemate is not of his causing? Even if you manage to find a solution - though I would remind you that all of us have failed for years - nothing is stopping them from getting a divorce immediately after your passing, as harsh as it may be.”

“Any attempt of dissolving the marriage after my death results in an immediate execution of my earlier threats.” The amusement in Jeonghan’s grandfather’s eyes held no mirth in them, only cold calculation. “And as to the ‘solution’, Seungcheol... perhaps you should talk to Jeonghan, hmm?”

*****

“What did he mean by that last sentence?”

They were in a pojangmacha near Seungcheol’s and Jeonghan’s homes, plates of tteokbokki, sundae and gimbap on the table they were seated at, along with several green bottles of soju, the people around them too occupied with the warmth from the heaters and the alcohol to realise three of the most influential men in the country were right beside them. 

Soonyoung’s question was directed at Jeonghan, who sighed. 

“I know where she is.”

“You never told me.” It was a question, and Jeonghan knew it, shrugging away Seungcheol’s warning glare at Soonyoung.

“You had her number,” Jeonghan responded easily. “You never asked; why blame me for that?”

Frustrated, Soonyoung downed his shot of soju. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Jeonghan was right; he could have asked her every time he received the messages informing him that she’d changed her number yet again, but he had never done so, wanting to give her the privacy and freedom he dearly hoped she was enjoying.

“The question is,” Seungcheol mused, “do we tell her?”

Jeonghan and Soonyoung shook their heads simultaneously. “No,” Soonyoung added, “because what would be the point of that? Her return would merely spur on halabeonim’s rush in getting us married to each other.”

“How can there be no other way?” Jeonghan chewed on a bite of tteokbokki, eyes solemn as he mulled over the predicament they were stuck in. “I have no doubt that the crazy man would follow through with his threats and fire Soonyoung’s family members from our companies, but can’t Cheol just hire them or something? I’m pretty sure there are a whole lot of other companies that would hire them too.”

“That would be us taking matters into our own hands without considering what they want,” Soonyoung told him quietly. “Why should they suffer even a moment’s inconvenience for something they had no involvement in whatsoever?”

Seungcheol pointed a skewer at him. “I agree, but what Han is trying to say is that there is an available solution. That particular threat is not as great as it was made out to be. What I’m more worried about would be Yoon Corporation. If Soonyoung doesn’t go ahead with the marriage, we have zero idea who the board will push into his place. That means we have no idea what he’d do to Han and the employees, and to me, personally, that’s a far bigger threat.”

Another shot, and Soonyoung looked at him miserably. “There’s no way out, is there?”

Seungcheol’s hand reached out and covered his friend’s trembling left hand, while Jeonghan took his right. “We’ll find one,” he told him, tightening his grip when Soonyoung shook his head. “Young, we’ll find one. Trust me. Trust us. We’re here for you.”

In a surprise turn of events, Seungcheol had been the most sober one out of them all, taking on the responsibility of bringing his friends to his house, because he was too weary to bother with the logistics of sending them back to their own places. Soonyoung had been half asleep after finishing off the entire bottle of soju, despite Seungcheol’s exasperated reminders that he was not as great a drinker as he thought he was, and he was now sleeping soundly in Seungcheol’s guest room. Far too familiar with nights out with Jeonghan, Seungcheol didn’t even think twice before carefully setting him down on the other side of his bed. 

He went back to his guest room, carefully shucking off Soonyoung’s clothes before bundling him into an oversized T-shirt of his, tucking him comfortably under the blankets and leaving a glass of water by the bed. All the while, Soonyoung slumbered on, totally unaware of Seungcheol’s ministrations. With a soft goodnight that went unanswered, Seungcheol headed back to his own room, where Jeonghan had already fallen asleep. With a sigh, Seungcheol started to take Jeonghan’s shirt off, but froze when Jeonghan muttered, eyes still closed, “Cuddle, Cheollie.”

Seungcheol shook his head with fond exasperation. “After we get you into more comfortable clothes, alright?”

He was not expecting Jeonghan, who was far lighter than him despite their similar heights (what could he do? He gained muscles fairly easily) and also alcohol-intoxicated, to have the energy to forcefully tug him down so that he collapsed onto the bed right beside the man who was already in it. Before he could snap out of his shock, Jeonghan was already snuggling into his arms, letting out a satisfied sigh against his chest. 

He finally found his voice. “It’s not going to be my problem if you wake up and find yourself still in yesterday’s clothes,” he said as his arms went around Jeonghan, the action so familiar yet foreign at the same time. Cuddling was not unfamiliar to them, but now, especially after what he had wanted to confess today -

“Doesn’t matter,” came Jeonghan’s small voice. “So long as you’re cuddling me, doesn’t matter.”

His fingers stroked Jeonghan’s hair gently, savouring Jeonghan’s pleased purrs every single touch seemed to pull out of him. “Hannie?”

“Mmm.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“S’long as you continue doing that.”

“We slept together in Jeju, didn’t we?” He felt the man in his arms stiffen, but never stopped the soothing stroke of his fingers. 

He had spent weeks coming to the conclusion that he was most probably in love with his best friend. Seungcheol had never been someone to shy away from the ‘L’ word, and certainly not this time. He was happy whenever Jeonghan laughed, he grinned whenever Jeonghan was excited about something, he found annoyed Jeonghan weirdly adorable, he wanted to tell Jeonghan every single little thing that happened in his day and wanted to hear every single little thing that happened in Jeonghan’s day, and he’d realised that making Jeonghan happy ranked high on top of his obligations. 

Choi Seungcheol was most definitely in love with his best friend.

He had wanted to talk to Jeonghan about it after the visit to the Yoon family manor, but circumstances had obviously deemed it unsuitable. He wasn’t sure why his brain thought that being slightly buzzed and cuddling with Jeonghan in bed was a perfect time to confess, but here they were.

“I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“I don’t know, Cheol.” He could sense the quiet frustration. “For sleeping with you? For not telling you?” He started to get up from the bed, started to pull away. “We probably shouldn’t-“

Seungcheol looked at Jeonghan’s distressed face and said, “Hannie, I’m in love with you.”

The room was dark, but he could still see the colour drain from Jeonghan’s ethereal face almost instantly, his eyes widening with shock and pain. “Don’t say that,” Jeonghan pleaded hoarsely. “I know we slept together, but-“

“Are my feeling invalid?” Seungcheol stared at him. “I’m not confused. It took me a while to get here, but the only thing I regret is not realising it sooner. It’s fine if you don’t love me, Han, but don’t invalidate my feelings just-“

“I’ve been in love with you since we were 17.”

The confession shook him to the core, and it took him a while before he could speak again. “Twelve years, and you never said anything?”

Jeonghan smiled sadly. “Cheol, I didn’t know you were interested in men. And I didn’t want to risk losing my best friend. So if you don’t mean it - please, don’t say it, because that would be a whole new level of agony I don’t think I can live with.”

Seungcheol put his arms around Jeonghan’s waist and shifted his position, so that they were face-to-face, heads on the same pillow. He looked straight into Jeonghan’s eyes, and said clearly, “I mean it. I’m in love with you, Hannie.”

*****

Seungcheol had woken up with Jeonghan countless times. Beside him, cuddling him - it was a common occurrence that surprised neither of them. Yet this time, when Seungcheol opened his eyes and found the man he loved - who loved him back! - in his arms, he found himself staring at him with a smile on his face for fifteen whole minutes, not even moving in case he woke Jeonghan up, until the man himself mumbled, “I can literally feel your gaze, stop staring at me so I can sleep.”

He’d rolled out of bed with a chuckle then, leaving his partner snoozing between the sheets, but not without a final kiss to his forehead. His good mood had him humming cheerfully to himself in the shower, in his closet, and on the way to his kitchen, where he stopped when he found a haggard-looking Soonyoung helping himself to the coffee. 

Soonyoung’s iconic 10.10 eyes took one look at him, and he said, “Finally.”

“Did everyone know?” Seungcheol frowned, grabbing his own cup of coffee. 

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. “You were the only blind one, Cheol.” The fed-up expression evolved into one of genuine happiness, despite the weariness behind it. “But I’m happy for you. Treat Han right, won’t you?”

“Of course.” Seungcheol took his own steaming cup of coffee from the coffee machine, and sat down beside Soonyoung, the two men basking in companionable silence as they sipped on their coffee. But something that Seungcheol had nearly forgotten nudged at his memory, and he broke the silence with a soft, “Soonyoung?”

“Haven’t called me that in a while,” Soonyoung commented lightly, though his eyes were solemn as he turned to Seungcheol. “What’s wrong?”

“Is there something that brought on this sudden desire to get rid of the ridiculous deal?”

Wryly, Soonyoung replied, “I would’ve thought that the phrase ‘ridiculous deal’ seemed obvious enough.”

Seungcheol was already shaking his head before Soonyoung finished. “You’ve already spent ten years living in this cage, but you only started plotting your escape now. I understand wanting to get out; I’m just curious about the timing. Is there... someone?”

Soonyoungg’s eyes were steady on his as he said slowly, “Be it now or ten years later, I would’ve still wanted to stop this ‘ridiculous deal’, as you put it, from happening. The timing’s irrelevant, Cheol.”

It’s not, Seungcheol wanted to say, wanted to press further, but stopped himself at the very last minute with the reminder if Soonyoung wanted to talk about it, he would. “You know that we’ll try our best to get you out of this, right?”

“Cheol ah.” Sighing, Soonyoung stared into space for a moment before he continued. “We’ll try our best, I know that. I’m just worried that our best will end up in vain.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *plays Imperial March*
> 
> So now you know why Soonyoung can’t commit himself fully. Did you think that he was supposed to marry Jeonghan, though, until the pojangmacha scene? If you did, my mission has been accomplished. If not, it’s fine too, you can still enjoy the drama from here onwards. 
> 
> Also, my precious jeongcheol are finally together. It was probably too short, but taking into account how long they’ve known each other for and how direct Seungcheol is, I figured that a direct confession was pretty appropriate. Plus, Jeonghan’s waited for 12 years - he wouldn’t want to waste any more time.
> 
> Thanks for reading! As usual, comments and kudos are super welcome :)


	41. Chapter Forty

“We can’t do this.”

Seungcheol merely raised an eyebrow at his frantic-looking boyfriend of less than 24 hours who’d let himself into his unit. “Hello, Hannie.”

“We can’t do this,” Jeonghan repeated frantically as he came over to where Seungcheol was seated on the couch, and Seungcheol’s eyebrow arched closer to his hairline when Jeonghan plopped down in his lap, despite his frenzied babbling. “You need an heir, and I can’t give you an heir! Your father’s going to murder me when he finds out you’re dating me, and what if you’re disowned? Cheol-“ His next words were effectively cut off by a forceful kiss planted on his lips.

Resurfacing for air, Seungcheol smirked at his boyfriend, whose flushed face and mussed-up hair had him going in for another kiss, only to have Jeonghan place a hand in between their lips. “Have you not been listening to me?” Jeonghan shrieked indignantly. “We can’t do this, Cheol!”

Laughing, Seungcheol held his boyfriend close to his chest, and sighed exasperatedly when he started to wriggle, attempting to get out from Seungcheol’s hold. “Hannie, love, stop squirming. Otherwise I’m not going to be held responsible for my actions.” That stopped him almost immediately. “Right. Now that that’s settled...” He carefully adjusted Jeonghan’s position so that they were facing each other. “Hannie, I love you.”

Jeonghan’s shoulders slumped. “I love you too,” he mumbled against Seungcheol’s shoulder. “But we can’t, Cheol, think about the company-“

“I am not going to think about anything but you. _Us_ ,” he corrected. “Look at how Soonyoung’s suffering just because he placed the company before his own happiness. We deserve to be happy, Hannie, and no one should tell us otherwise. As for the company... It’s going to go to the most deserving person, and the family name shouldn’t matter.”

“I don’t want you to be estranged from your family just because you’re dating me,” said Jeonghan in a small voice. 

Seungcheol’s arms tightened around his boyfriend. “If they kick me out just because I’m dating you, Hannie, we’re better off without them.”

*****

At the knock on her door, Jihyun tore her eyes away from her laptop screen, a furrow forming between her brows. She wasn’t expecting company tonight. 

Certainly not in the form of Kwon Soonyoung, leaning against her doorframe, eyes void and - “You look so unhappy,” she whispered, feeling her own heart constrict with sadness. 

He said nothing, walking into her unit wordlessly. When he walked over to her bookshelf and pulled out the battered red volume, she didn’t refuse when she took it and flipped to a random page, nor did she push him away when he laid his head in her lap. She recited the well-written words that formed hauntingly beautiful proses when strung together, all the while gently stroking the familiar slope of his cheeks. When she finished one poem, she merely flipped to the next page and started again, and again, and again. 

They fell asleep in her living room, his head pillowed on her lap, her head lolling to her left as she sat upright in the couch, the red volume of poems carefully set aside. 

And when she woke up the next morning, gentle sunlight filtering through the curtains, a blanket gently draped over her chest, he was already gone. 

Perhaps she was an idiot, comforting Soonyoung at the expense of her own heart. But Soonyoung’s happiness would always take priority over her own pain - she was, after all, an idiot in love. 

“You look like you didn’t sleep the whole night.” A cup of coffee was set down beside her keyboard, and Jihyun didn’t have to look up to know who it was. 

“Thanks, Gyu.”

He didn’t walk away. “Are you okay?”

No, she wanted to say. But I’m trying. “I’m fine. Just stayed up finishing off some work.”

But before Mingyu could remind her that that was precisely how she’d landed herself in the hospital last time, a sudden buzz of murmurs took over the entire department. The wave of gossip was literally visible as it crashed over the office; they both looked up to see all their colleagues showing each other their phones, chattering with equal amounts of scandalised surprise and unmasked glee. “Does anyone actually get any work done here?” Jihyun wondered out loud.

Mingyu had already pulled out his own phone, scrolling through Naver for the source of the excitement. “Where’s your phone?”

“Left it at home. Have you found it yet?” She leaned back against her chair, waiting as Mingyu’s fingers flicked continuously on his phone screen.

Shock exploded on Mingyu’s face, his eyes going as wide as saucers as he read the article. Jihyun waited a whole minute before asking, “Well?”

Mingyu merely passed her his phone, and she nearly dropped it when the headlines jumped at her. 

** “CEO of Yoon Corporation to marry Yoon heiress in six months” **

Soonyoung-

Her mind went blank as she stared at the jarring headlines. When the headlines started shaking from side to side, she wondered if Mingyu’s phone was broken, only to realise that it was her own hands that were trembling when Mingyu covered her hands with his steady ones. 

“Hyun,” Mingyu asked with genuine worry in his voice, “are you okay?”

And for the second time in the span of five minutes, Jihyun found it in herself to lie once again. “I’m fine.” She handed him his phone, careful to avoid his burning gaze, knowing that he would be able to see the truth in her eyes if he delved in deeper. “Just surprised. Soonyoung-“ she stumbled over his name before forcefully pulling herself back together, “I didn’t know he was engaged.”

“The article states that they’ve been engaged to each other since they graduated from university,” Mingyu said, reading the article. “That would have been, what, 5 or 6 years? That’s pretty romantic.”

The ringing in her head was getting louder and louder, and Jihyun could already feel the headache that would make its grand entrance in less than an hour. “Yeah,” she croaked. “Romantic.”

Forty-five minutes later, the headache arrived as predicted, parking itself shamelessly in the middle of her brain, refusing to leave even after she’d sent two doses of aspirin after it. 

Two hours later, she gently turned down Mingyu’s invitation to join him and Wonwoo for lunch, citing a sudden deadline, ignoring the increasing concern in her friend’s eyes. 

Four hours later, she found herself being summoned to Jihoon’s office by an apologetic Irene, who waved her into the office where an irate Jihoon was glaring at her from his seat. “You gave me three files this morning,” he began, “and there are just too many mistakes inside for me to overlook them. I don’t mind doing the corrections, but this isn’t like you. What’s wrong?”

She looked at him, opened her mouth to try and give a lame excuse for her unjustifiable slip-ups, and cried. 

Alarmed, Jihoon leapt out of his chair and put his arms around her. “What’s wrong, what’s wrong?” he asked, frantic with fear. “Damn it, I’ve been way harsher on you, so what’s wrong?”

She broke down, unable to answer, merely sobbed into his shirt. Seeing Jihoon had been like seeing rescuers after being in an accident; it had been a stark reminder that she was now safe and loved, and that he was someone that would be there for her. So she sobbed, and sobbed, and once Jihoon realised that she wouldn’t be in a state to answer any of his questions until she stopped, he kept his silence, patting her rhythmically on the back. 

When she finally quietened down, Jihoon pulled her away from him, though he kept his hands on her shoulders. Looking down at her tear-stained face, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

She said hoarsely, “Soonyoung’s getting married.”

Jihoon was only perplexed for a split second, before cold understanding flitted into his eyes. “You don’t hate each other, do you?”

She shook her head wordlessly. 

Well, that explained the ever-present tension whenever the other was brought up in front of one of them that had always been a mystery to all of their friends; no one had ever understood why they seemed to harbour such a deep resentment for the other person. How blind had they been, to not see that it hadn’t been hatred, but longing? “You’ve been dating in secret?”

She swiped away a tear that was trickling down her cheek, and told Jihoon the story. About how they’d connected in Jeju, the night at the club, the mutual pining that had turned into bitter longing at the dinner, and the night she picked him up from Highlight. She told Jihoon about how Soonyoung had always been upfront about never being able to give her all of him, and how she’d accepted it as part of the package. She told Jihoon about their dates at her place, about the fireworks festival, about the day trip to Nami Island. And she told Jihoon about her slip-up in admitting her true feelings for Soonyoung, and how Soonyoung had appeared on her doorstep yesterday after a week of radio silence. 

Jihoon remained silent throughout the entire story, his face expressionless and neutral, hiding his true emotions well. At the end of it, he led her over to one of the chairs across from his, and gently pushed her into one before leaning down to look at her. “You,” he said slowly, “are going home. I am going to talk to Mingyu, and ask him to grab your bag and send it to my car, which Irene will escort you to. I’ll send you home right after I settle some stuff.”

She saw right through him. “You’re going to talk to Seungcheol, aren’t you?”

He ignored her, and that was an answer in itself. “Stay here until Irene comes in for you” was all he said before he sailed out of the door. 

Jihoon supposed that he should tone down the cold fury in his eyes that had everyone he passed by averting their gazes, but he was too furious to bother. It was that fury that had Wendy giving him instant access into Seungcheol’s office without buzzing the man first.

Seungcheol was sitting in his seat, anxiously tapping on his phone, and he didn’t stop even after Jihoon came in. “Pick up, pick up,” he mumbled, but there seemed to be no response from the other side. 

Jihoon stood by the table, and asked, “Are you trying to call Soonyoung?”

Seungcheol looked up from his phone, and set it aside with a sigh. “Yes. The news... damn halabeonim, how could he do this without any warning? Soonyoung must-“

“Did you know,” Jihoon interrupted coldly, “that Soonyoung was dating Jihyun?”

The shock on Seungcheol’s face would’ve been comedic in any other situation. He blinked a few times, and managed a “wh-what?”.

“I summoned her into my office because she’d messed up uncharacteristically, only to have her break down and tell me the truth. You didn’t know either.” It was a statement, not a question.

Seungcheol shook his head. “They always showed nothing but indifference or annoyance towards each other. I didn’t know, Ji. Neither did Han. Damn it, what was Soonyoung thinking?” Fury now burst into Seungcheol’s eyes, his protective instincts flaring up.

“My thoughts exactly. I’m bringing her home now, and you’d better make sure Kwon Soonyoung stays away until he can give her a damn good explanation.”

“Wait, Ji.” Seungcheol called out to Jihoon’s retreating back. “If it will stop you from murdering Soonyoung outright the moment you set eyes on him... he never intended to marry her. He’s as trapped as she is, and he was trying to find a way out before halabeonim went insane and pulled this PR stunt, likely to pressure them into complying.”

“Doesn’t give him the right to mess with anyone before he actually escapes,” Jihoon retorted coolly. “But maybe I’ll listen to him first before sending him to his grave.”

The drive back to Jihyun’s apartment was quiet, both of them occupied with their own thoughts, one bordering murderous intentions and one wallowing in misery, and that continued until they both came to a halt at her front hallway, staring at the unexpected visitor who had let himself in and was pacing impatiently in the middle of her living room. 

She’d seen many forms of Kwon Soonyoung ever since she first met him. Carefree Soonyoung, happy Soonyoung, sad Soonyoung, frustrated Soonyoung. But this was her first time witnessing Soonyoung in a rage, and she was half-intrigued as she stared at the man.

Soonyoung was in his office attire, though his coat had been discarded without a care on her couch. His tie was loosened though it remained around his neck, along with the top two buttons of his shirt, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled halfway up his forearms. His hair, which would’ve been nearly parted at the front as usual, was messed up, tufts of it sticking up everywhere, as though in his frustration he’d ran his fingers through it without a care. 

When his eyes landed on them, they widened fractionally. “Hyun, please-“

Jihoon had already moved before she could reply, and the next thing she knew, Soonyoung was staggering backwards, clutching his left cheek, and Jihoon’s right fist was by his side as he breathed heavily. She hadn’t moved, merely looked on from where she was standing, her gaze quiet. 

“I deserved that.” Soonyoung said in a tone that indicated that he would gladly receive as many punches Jihoon wished to dole out. “But before you beat me into a pulp, let me talk to her. Please.”

Jihoon read the answer in her eyes, and gave Soonyoung one final glare before he left the house, front door banging behind him. She remained where she was, watching Soonyoung take a few tentative steps forward, until he was standing in front of her, his gaze hesitant and pleading. 

Taking pity on him, she spoke. “Convince me, in one sentence, why I should let you talk and not kick you out this instant.” It was cold, it was curt, but it was an opening that Soonyoung latched on to gratefully.

He had been groomed to be the best of the best since he was a child, taught to earn the command and attention of a room with nothing more than a look, so when he saw Jihyun’s face falter for a millisecond upon hearing his words, he knew that his training hadn’t failed him this time. 

“I love you.”

She shook her head almost robotically, head lowered, but didn’t show him to the door, where he would bet that Jihoon was waiting. He took a deep breath, and started the story.

*****

The Yoons, Chois, and Kwons had always been close family friends, despite the seemingly contradicting business relationship they had. Choi Industries and Yoon Corporation were quiet rivals that shared a deep respect for the other, and the Kwons have always been trusted advisers to the head of the Yoon clan, taking up significant roles in both the company and their personal lives. When all three heirs were born in the same year, on top of the lavish care that was showered upon them even before they came into this world, they had it triple-fold - every family treated the other two as their own, and loved all three as though they were their own children. 

They were inseparable, three shadows that mirrored what the other two did, wrecking havoc and chaos around the estates they had a free run over, as typical children did. When training started - after all, they were destined for greatness - all three did equally brilliantly, some shining in certain aspects more than the others, but brilliant prodigies all the same. 

Jeonghan’s grandfather had taken an immediate liking to Soonyoung ever since the first time he set eyes on the chubby-cheeked child, and it had only increased when he saw how fast the child reacted to every situation thrown at him, how steadily and logically he dissected every problem and question, how he had everyone twisted around his little finger without even trying. So when Soonyoung was ten, it was slated that he was to manage Yoon Corporation by Jeonghan’s side when the time came, and everyone was happy. 

Yoon Jeongyeon was born a year after Jeonghan was, a young girl whose features were similar yet distinct from her brother’s, but equally ethereal and breathtaking. She joined in the trio’s playtime whenever they felt like allowing a girl to play with them, and sat in training sessions whenever she felt like it. The four of them grew up together, but most of the time, it was more like a 3+1 relationship. 

When they got into high school, despite the heavy lockdown on their real identities, the anonymity shrouding the four had merely created an even irresistible aura, and they were quickly The Crowd that students wanted to be a part of. Every move was monitored closely, every word that came out of their mouths gospel or gossip depending on the context, and they were happy. The three boys were still close friends, and were rarely, if ever, seen apart from each other. They took care of Jeongyeon, of course - no negative gossip ever touched her, and every boy she hung out with had to be carefully scrutinised by all three of them - but most of the time, they stuck to themselves, three boys who had never known separation from the moment they were born. 

They graduated high school, and each went their own way with new friends by their side. Seungcheol met Jihoon, and by extension Jihyun; Jeonghan met Jisoo, and Soonyoung went to a separate university, where Jeongyeon enrolled in the very next year. Even if Jeonghan hadn’t instructed him to do so, Soonyoung would still have taken care of Jeongyeon by his own initiative; she was, after all, like a younger sister to him. He kept all the guys with bad intentions away, made sure that she never got too drunk at parties they both attended, and took her out for meals at least once every week.

Was it any surprise that Jeongyeon fell in love with the boy?

It was Soonyoung’s final year, right after his third semester, and he was at a house party, getting drunk and riled up with his buddies with the sole purpose of getting drunk. Main reason: they’d just finished their second-to-last semester of their final year. Side reason: he’d been turned down by the senior he’d had a crush on for months, and he desperately needed to lose himself in alcohol. 

Jeongyeon had ran into him just as he came out from the bathroom, and had spent a whole hour listening to Soonyoung tell her about his heartbreak while they downed cup after cup of punch that tasted anything but innocent. When Jeongyeon offered to let Soonyoung crash at her place for the night to sleep off the buzz, he’d agreed, and two had went back to the apartment Jeongyeon had to herself, unsteady on their feet. 

Even until today, he wasn’t sure how the night had ended up with both of them sleeping with each other. But they’d woken up the next morning to find themselves naked in the same bed, and before they could scream in horror, the door had been carefully eased open by Jeongyeon’s personal driver and best friend, who had been worried about Jeongyeon’s unannounced departure from the party the night before and had decided to check on her. 

Hours later, Soonyoung was kneeling beside Jeongyeon in the grand sitting room of the Yoon family manor, their families discussing the situation as though they were absent. As Jeongyeon’s grandfather yelled about his precious granddaughter being taken advantage of, Soonyoung felt the granddaughter in question flinch slightly, but he kept his mouth shut.

When the Yoons had demanded for Soonyoung to do the honourable thing and marry Jeongyeon, he’d been tempted to retort that he had certainly not been the person to take Jeongyeon’s virginity, but sheer respect for her privacy had him keeping his tongue in his cheek. The fact that Jeongyeon was most definitely not a virgin even before their night together was not his to reveal, and what did it have to do with anyone else but Jeongyeon herself anyway?

No, he wanted to say. One mistake wasn’t worth his entire life. But the threats to kick his father out from Yoon Corporation...

Soonyoung had always been trained to put the big picture before himself. To think of all possible scenarios, and choose the one with the least possibility of harm. He liked Jeongyeon, didn’t he? She was nice. They were friendly with each other. He could take a life with her, compared to taking his father’s life away from him. 

With his parents’ sorrowful and resigned gazes upon him, he’d said yes. 

The year after Soonyoung graduated, he moved into an apartment with Jeongyeon upon the insistence of their families, wanting them to learn how to live with each other before they could get married. It was a penthouse unit smack in the middle of the city, grandly decorated and furnished, but neither of them felt any warmth in it. Oh, they were civil towards each other, but they were far too careful as well. It wasn’t to say that they didn’t try; they made obvious efforts to keep things as normal as possible. Soonyoung would offer to buy dinner, Jeongyeon would offer to make coffee in the morning. Neither could look at the other without a hint of bitterness and regret, but they tried. 

Jeonghan had been torn in the middle; he was happy that his sister was with a man he knew he could trust, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be happy with the circumstances that had led to this. Yet he tried, as much as the couple did. He went over with Seungcheol at least once a week, eating in with the couple, watching as they tried to make things as minimally awkward as they could manage. They were still friends, Jeonghan had reminded Soonyoung as much as he reminded himself when the other had gotten to his knees to ask for forgiveness the first time they’d met after the fiasco. They were friends, and now they were brothers, and it would never change as long as Soonyoung took good care of Jeongyeon.

One year later, Jeongyeon disappeared. 

Soonyoung had been puzzled when he found himself alone in the penthouse when he woke up. He’d been concerned when he was still alone after he came back from work. He’d been frantic when his calls went unanswered. And then he’d been stunned when he realised that her room had been cleared, no clothes left in the closet, the two suitcases under her neatly-made bed gone as well. 

Hours after his call to Jeonghan, everyone received the same message.

“Please don’t worry. Please don’t look for me. I love all of you.”

Halabeonim had been furious, ordering his connections in the police force to conduct an immediate search for his granddaughter. Whether or not it had been motivated by love for his granddaughter, or fury because of her defiance, Soonyoung never found out. Jeonghan and Seungcheol had rushed over to Soonyoung’s place, both of them as stunned as Soonyoung had been, all three of them staying up the entire night to figure out where Jeongyeon would have went. 

In the morning, Soonyoung’s phone rang.

_ “I’m sorry,” said Jeongyeon. _

_ Soonyoung shook his head before realising she couldn’t see him. “Jeongyeon, please, just come back. I’m sorry if I did something wrong-“ _

_ “I slept with you on purpose,” interrupted Jeongyeon quietly. “I fell in love with you, oppa, and I was hoping that if we spent a night together, you’d stop seeing me as a younger sister and start seeing me as someone whom you would want to date.” _

_ Soonyoung stared at the phone on the table, Jeongyeon’s words barely registering in his mind.  _

_ “I acted far too rashly, and you had to pay for my selfishness. I’m sorry, oppa. I never meant to put you in such a position.”  _

_ He found his voice again. “Jeongyeon, it’s alright, I’m not mad at you. But please, come home. We’re all worried.” _

_ “Jeonghan oppa and Seungcheol oppa are there too, aren’t they?” Before the other two could answer, Jeongyeon continued. “Please don’t look for me. I’m going to stay away as long as halabeoji insists on the marriage. Take care of them for me, won’t you, Soonyoung oppa?” _

The moment the phone call ended, Jeonghan had declared with such venom in his honeyed voice that he would never forgive Soonyoung for being the cause of his sister’s departure. 

The moment Jeonghan stormed out of the house, an apologetic Seungcheol right behind him, Soonyoung had called the office and asked for an instant transfer to the Japan headquarters. 

He’d lost his friends, he’d lost the woman he was supposed to marry, whom, despite everything, was still a friend and sister to him, yet he was still stuck in this stalemate with no escape. The city held nothing for him anymore. 

But then Jeonghan had lured him back. 

*****

“And then I met you.”

Jihyun’s head was still lowered; she hadn’t moved an inch from her initial position. “You shouldn’t have, you know,” she said, her tone even.

He knew she wasn’t talking about meeting her. “I was selfish,” he admitted. “I thought I could solve it all, thought that in the end, what we had could become something real once I got out of this. I thought that I would have the opportunity to make you happy for a far longer time than this.”

“What do you want from me now, Soonyoung ah?” There it was, a hint of anguish behind her calm facade, and he had to force his hands to stay by his side instead of wrapping themselves around her. He no longer had the right to comfort. “There seems to be no way out from this ‘situation’ for you, regardless of your reluctance to proceed with the marriage. Perhaps Jeongyeon-ssi might be generous and allow you to be with someone you truly love outside your marriage, but I would hope that you respect your spouse - and the institution of marriage itself - and stay loyal, even if she isn’t the one you love. Were you to stubbornly refuse to go ahead with the plan, you would not only jeopardise your family members’ jobs, but also the jobs of all the employees under you in Yoon Corporation. Soonyoung ah-“ and her voice was soft, so soft, no hint of protests or fury in it, “you don’t have an alternative.”

_I’ll come up with one_ , he wanted to plead, but the words were stuck in his throat. 

“I would say ‘let’s break up’, but,” she finally looked up at him, her eyes clear and bright with dull bleakness, “there was never anything to break up from.”

It was that last realisation that had him closing his eyes, fighting against the explosion of pain in his chest. 

In a steady voice, she said, “I love you, Soonyoung ah.” There was a small smile on her lips, sorrowful yet graceful in its soft curve. 

“I love you too.” In comparison, his voice was hoarse, broken, torn with guilt and grief for the future that they could have had together, for the farewell they had to bid to all the happiness they could have brought into each other’s lives. 

“But it still has to end, like you always warned me it would.” A gentle hand came up to pat his arm twice before it fell back to her side. “Goodbye, Soonyoung.”

When Soonyoung opened her front door, Jihoon whisked past him into the unit without a word, and Soonyoung found himself pulled into a warm, familiar pair of arms that had tears forming in his eyes, the first time in the day. 

“Come on,” said Minghao softly. “Let’s go home.”

*****

“How is she?” Was Jisoo’s first question as he entered the unit. 

From the couch, Jihoon looked up from his laptop, unsurprised to see the sudden visitor. “Sleeping. I forced her to have some porridge, but she couldn’t eat much.”

With a sigh, Jisoo set down his coat on the back of a chair, and went to get himself a glass of water. “She never told us,” he said quietly. 

He’d been occupied with patients for the entire day, and had been perplexed to find his phone full of frantic messages from Jeonghan and Jisoo after he managed to squeeze in a minute of rest. The minute he got off his shift, he’d raced over to Jihyun’s place, anxiety and concern warring in his heart. 

“In all fairness, we should’ve seen it.” Jihoon mused. “The animosity never made sense to me; what had been the trigger? They didn’t hide it well; we were just too blind.”

With his glass of water in hand, Jisoo settled down beside Jihoon. “I’m not angry at Soonyoung,” he wondered out loud. “I was, when I first read your messages, but after a while, I realised he’s probably suffering as much as she is. Perhaps even more.”

“I thought it was just me.” Jihoon sighed, and leaned back against the couch. “But for now, my priority is Jihyun. I punched him this afternoon, when I first saw him. Made me feel slightly better, though I felt kind of guilty when he didn’t even dodge it.”

Indeed, Jisoo could see the red tears in Jihoon’s knuckles. “He would’ve if he wanted to; Soonyoung’s got a black belt in taekwondo.” Tutting, he got up to grab the first-aid kit. “Come on, hyung, I’ll bandage those up.”

Across town, Minghao and Seungcheol were staring at Soonyoung and Jeonghan with equally worried looks in their eyes, as they watched the two down shot after shot of soju with no words spoken. “You sure about this?” Minghao whispered, worried and concerned as they finished off yet another bottle of soju and grabbed another one.

“Do they look like they want to talk right now?” Seungcheol hissed right back, though he was as worried as Minghao was. “We can get them to talk tomorrow, when they’re nursing their mega hangovers.”

Sighing, Minghao tried to relax in his seat. “Did you manage to reach her?”

Seungcheol shook his head. “We’ve been trying the entire day, but her phone’s off. We’ll have to wait for her to get in touch.”

In Spring, an extremely agitated Seungkwan was yelling at Hansol and Seokmin, both men with their heads lowered as they bore the brunt of Seungkwan’s lecture. “And you thought it was a good idea to encourage this? You two are intelligent, intelligent! What were you thinking? That you could conjure up a happy ever after for them?”

“They sure as hell deserve it,” Seokmin mumbled. 

“It’s not our place to play God!” Seungkwan yelled, cheeks flushed red. “Now there’s an extra person to worry about, and when Jihyun’s hurt everyone else is hurt. Jisoo’s hurt, Jihoon hyung’s hurt, Mingyu hyung and Wonwoo hyung are hurt. Soonyoung hyung and Jeonghan hyung have someone else they need to worry about.” All the fire was suddenly extinguished, and Seungkwan let out a sigh. “Jeonghan hyung is going to murder the two of you when he finds out you kept this from him.”

To:

Hi, hyung

How’s Jihyun?

From:

Hi, Min.

She’s sleeping now. Jihoon said she was okay in the afternoon, just quieter than normal.

It’s like a repeat of what happened months ago with Chan, but I think this one is hurting her more. 

To:

I’m sorry.

I should’ve said something when I first found out. 

From:

Min, it’s not your fault. 

And from what Jihyun said, she knew there would never have been a forever with Soonyoung right from the beginning, but she still chose him anyway. 

Nothing you said would’ve changed it. 

To:

I just feel really guilty about it all

Hansol, too

Seungkwan was still yelling at him when they left

From:

I’ll talk to Seungkwan, don’t worry.

Get some rest, alright?

To:

Sure, hyung

You too!

*****

Mingyu shot a glance at Jihyun’s back, the second time in five minutes, the concern that had been ever-present in his heart for the past few weeks growing in size. 

She was fine, she insisted, throwing herself back into work with an intensity that scared him to the core. She finished off files in half the amount of time it used to take her, easily surpassing the speed that new files were assigned to her. She smiled and laughed, and if one didn’t look too closely beneath the surface, Jung Jihyun was absolutely fine.

But he wasn’t the only one who could see her self-control tearing at the seams. He wasn’t the only one who caught her careful avoidance of any topic relating to Soonyoung. He wasn’t the only one who noticed the moments where she just blanked out at her desk, cup of coffee in hand, eyes staring into nothing until she caught herself and went back to work as though nothing happened. He wasn’t the only one who noticed the smudge of grey under her eyes, despite her insistence that she’d slept well the night before.

He was afraid that this time, it would take more than what she had to piece her broken heart back together.

*****

Hansol set down the takeaway box on Soonyoung’s desk, watching his boss carefully out of the corner of his eye. Soonyoung didn’t look up from the document he was reviewing, only murmuring a quiet “thank you” as he continued scanning the printed words. 

Hadn’t they been here before already? Hansol thought to himself sadly, the memories of Soonyoung in this robotic state of work, sleep, repeat when they had been in Japan resurfacing. He knew that this was Soonyoung’s way of avoiding reality, of dealing with the congratulations and well-wishes upon his future marriage from their colleagues and clients that always came with genuine smiles, of coping with the hand of cards life had dealt him. 

Anything, to avoid remembering what he could have had, what he had but needed to let go. 

The lunchbox joined the growing pile of other similar lunchboxes in a corner of Soonyoung’s office, forgotten and uneaten, to be cleared by their cleaning lady with disapproval every week, only to grow again, box by box, the very next week. 

*****

“Hansol says Soonyoung hasn’t been eating.”

Seungcheol continued combing his boyfriend’s long hair out of their tangled knots, his fingers gentle and quick as he listened to Jeonghan talk.

“Jisoo says Jihyun acts like nothing is wrong, but she can’t sleep and wanders around the house the entire night like a mournful ghost.”

Jeonghan’s hair now detangled, Seungcheol grabbed a brush and ran it through the golden locks gingerly. “You haven’t been sleeping well either,” he admonished. 

Jeonghan sighed, knowing it was true, his pale reflection in the mirror of the dressing table stark evidence of his restless nights. Sleeping with Seungcheol hadn’t helped; if anything, he’d only kept Seungcheol awake with his tossing and turning, but Seungcheol had refused to let Jeonghan sleep alone, quietly keeping him company as he lay awake in Seungcheol’s arms. “She still won’t answer my calls.”

“She likely has her reasons. Halabeonim might have someone tracking her, and you know that a call would immediately expose her location.” Seungcheol separated Jeonghan’s hair into three partings, and started braiding them with the expertise of someone who’d only started learning it a few weeks ago, but was trying his best. “We have to trust her, Hannie. No matter what, we have to trust that she’s taking care of herself, that she’ll make the best decision for her and Soonyoung.”

“I used to tell myself that I wouldn’t mind if Soonyoung married Jeongyeon,” Jeonghan said softly. “Soonyoung would take good care of her, just like he did before she left. But now, I don’t want it anymore. I want Soonyoung to be happy, and he won’t be with Jeongyeon.” Guilt pricked at his heart. “He was happy with Jihyun, wasn’t he?”

“It would seem so, yes.” None of them knew what happened between the two of them, but judging by their current states, it was hardly an unreasonable deduction. Seungcheol finished off the braid, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s shoulders, staring at him in the mirror. “It’s not your fault, you know.”

Another sigh. “If I had helped him sooner-“

“None of us knew he wanted a way out sooner,” Seungcheol reminded him. “And the moment he came to us, we started brainstorming immediately. Hannie, love, Soonyoung doesn’t blame you. Jihyun doesn’t blame you. Don’t blame yourself.”

Jeonghan nuzzled his cheek against Ssungcheol’s forearm. “What would I do without you, Cheol?”

A warm smile on his face, Seungcheol leaned down and pressed his lips to the crown of Jeonghan’s head. “You’ll never need to find out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the entire background story is OUT. I know it’s a typical trope, but it was still fun to write. I actually wanted to emphasise on how they hadn’t tried to save their relationship, because they both knew it wasn’t going to work. Doesn’t mean they don’t suffer in the aftermath, though; it’s still heartbreak central for the both of them. 
> 
> Also, if you haven’t realised from the storyline, Jisoo, Jihyun, Seokmin, Seungkwan and Hansol are the same age, whereas Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jihoon, Mingyu, and Wonwoo are all one year older, which is why Jisoo calls Jihoon hyung. After all, Jisoo and Jihyun are in the same year, and Jihoon was Jihyun’s senior in college.
> 
> Three more chapters to go, including the epilogue! I have this whole plot for seoksoo and verkwan but didn’t manage to fit them in. Should I just add them in as a sequel to this fic after I finish this one?


	42. Chapter Forty-One

Jeonghan hummed to himself as he held a yellow rose up to the half-finished bouquet he was working on, assessing if it would fit the image he had in mind. Satisfied, he placed the rose carefully where he wanted it to be, and reached out to the side table to grab another stalk, only to very nearly upturn the entire table when Seokmin barged into the workspace. Catching himself at the very last moment, he shot Seokmin an annoyed look, only to falter when he saw the stark panic in the younger’s eyes. “Seokmin? What’s wrong?”

Seokmin’s stuttering reply, so different from his usual cool and calm demeanour, had Jeonghan taking a stumbling step back, hands gripping the edge of the worktable so tightly, his knuckles flashed white. 

******

Seungcheol hummed to himself as he scrutinised the business proposal in his hand, calculating and analysing if it fit the blueprint he had in mind for the next five years. Deciding that it would fit right in with a few tweaks, he grabbed his trusty red pen and started to scribble down some notes beside the relevant paragraphs. When his intercom rang, signalling a call from Wendy, he didn’t even need to look up for his pen to punch the red button accurately. “Yes?”

“Mr. Choi, Mr. Lee and Ms. Jung from Legal are here, and they say it’s urgent.”

Urgent? Had something happened to Jihyun? “Send him in,” Seungcheol ordered, putting down his pen, greeting the frantic Jihoon who barged into his office extremely ungracefully with a frown, which deepened upon seeing the uncharacteristic anxiety on the younger’s face. Jihyun trailed quietly behind, her face pale with shock, and Seungcheol took a moment to notice, with worry, how gaunt her face had become over the past weeks, before turning back to Jihoon. “Ji? What’s wrong?”

Jihoon passed him his phone, and all it took was one look for Seungcheol to grab his coat and run out of the office, Jihoon following immediately after Jihyun gave him a look that told him she’d handle the aftermath. 

Ten minutes earlier, their office had been swamped with another wave of gossip, and Jihyun had sat still in her seat, wondering if it was news about the to-be married power couple again, when Mingyu asked her, phone in hand and a stunned look on his face, “Jeonghan hyung is the President of Yoon Corporation?”

She had bolted towards Jihoon’s office immediately, the expression on her face convincing enough for Irene to let her in without stopping her with unnecessary questions. Wordlessly, she’d shoved the article in Jihoon’s face, and the two of them hadn’t even paused to think before they ran in tandem towards the elevators and pressed the button for Seungcheol’s office, ignoring the questioning and interested looks the entire office had shot them. 

In a quiet tone, she informed Wendy that Seungcheol would be out for the rest of the day, asking her to clear his schedule. Wendy was secretary to the CEO of Choi Industries for a reason; she hadn’t even blinked at the odd request, nodding serenely and getting to work instantly.

Jihyun yearned to follow after Seungcheol and Jihoon, wanting to see how Jeonghan was faring with her own eyes, but practicality had her reining the urge in and heading back to the office, ignoring the looks her colleagues sent her as she strode back to her desk. “They went to check on him,” she said in a low voice as she approached Mingyu’s desk, careful so as to not expose more than she intended. “I don’t know anything else.”

*****

“Where are we heading?” Seungcheol asked sharply as he leapt into the backseat of his car, his driver already ready to go. 

“Home,” Jihoon informed the driver as he slid in beside Seungcheol, the engine revving the moment the door was closed. “Seokmin says he’s bringing Jeonghan home now; reporters have started flooding Spring. Soonyoung says that Hansol’s on his way to Spring to help Seungkwan clear them away.”

“What game is halabeonim playing?” Seungcheol muttered as his fingers tapped impatiently on his thighs. The article had mercilessly exposed Jeonghan’s well hidden identity, citing the reason for his anonymity from the public eye as his sexuality, which was apparently ‘a point of embarrassment for the family, according to an inside source’, and had pointed out in a harshly gleeful tone that Jeonghan held no real power over Yoon Corporation despite his prestigious title. 

He couldn’t figure out how it would further the old man’s plans to see Soonyoung married to Jeongyeon. It was certainly not benefitting the company in any way; his phone had been blowing up with news of a sudden and drastic drop in the share prices of Yoon Corporation ever since the article was released an hour ago, and it seemed like it would only drop even lower as the day progressed. Being affiliated somewhat, his own employees had been asking him to publish statements to clarify their company’s stand to stop the drop of their own shares, which was slowly picking up pace and would soon join Yoon Corporation at the bottom of the market when it closed for the day. He’d politely told them to shut up, and had proceeded to ignore all further messages. 

The moment the car stopped in front of his residence, he was out of the car and jabbing the number ‘4’ in the elevator, Jihoon beside him, still occupied with his phone as he caught up with the news and updates from their friends. Seokmin must’ve been on a lookout for them, because he was anxiously waiting by the door, and quickly allowed Seungcheol and Jihoon into Jeonghan’s place.

Seungcheol’s heart broke upon seeing his boyfriend slumped on his couch, cheeks tear-stained, eyes red and swollen. “Hannie,” he murmured, taking him carefully into his arms. “I’m here, I’m here.”

Jeonghan clung to him like a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. “I can’t believe he gave them this,” he said brokenly. “What good would it do? The company - I can’t-“

Pulling him closer, Seungcheol shushed him gently. “Leave that to Soonyoung and me. We’ll deal with it. We’re not saying you’re useless,” he added, feeling the younger flinch and knowing the exact reason for it. “But I don’t want you to get attacked anymore. Leave the fight to us this time, Hannie. There will always be a next time.”

Jihoon and Seokmin had already silently excused themselves, walking back out towards the elevator. “Hansol’s at Spring now,” Seokmin reported. “He’s asking the reporters to leave, threatening to call the police, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“Call the police,” Jihoon ordered. “Also call for private security to add on some muscle. Spring is going to be plagued by these useless gossipy-“

He stared at the front gate, where figures in long coats with cameras and notebooks in their hands swarmed and buzzed like angry bees. “Jeonghan’s private residence is supposed to be _private_ ,” he hissed, outraged. “How did they even track him down?”

Seokmin tugged him back into the building, and into the elevators once again, but this time heading down into the basement. “If Yoon Senior would throw his own grandson to the wolves, he would hardly bat an eyelash at leaking Jeonghan hyung’s private address,” he said quietly, leading Jihoon over to a hallway that was well-lit, if silent. “This leads to a building in the next block; it’s meant to be used for emergency escapes like this,” he explained, their footsteps echoing along the narrow walls as they speed-walked down the long corridor. 

“We’ll have to use it as much as we can, but it would be best to move Jeonghan. Seungcheol will follow. We’ll need to avoid any of their registered residences, though.” Jihoon shook his head; that could wait. As long as Jeonghan and Seungcheol didn’t pop their heads out from Jeonghan’s unit, the problem there wouldn’t need to be prioritised. 

Walking up a flight of stairs at the end of the long hallway, they exited an inconspicuous building, Seokmin flagging down a cab. “Our shares are dropping. Fast.” Jihoon muttered as he scanned his phone. “Choi Industries can salvage it if we issue a statement clarifying our position and saying that the personal life of Jeonghan has nothing to do with us, but that would mean leaving Yoon Corporation alone to deal with this.” Which was something Seungcheol would never agree to. It went beyond his love for Jeonghan; there was also the deep loyalty entwined into the friendship between Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Soonyoung. “Anything from Soonyoung?”

Seokmin shook his head as they slid into the cab, and looked at Jihoon. “I probably need to go see hyung now,” he said, carefully avoiding naming Soonyoung. “Are you coming with, or will you go back to your office?”

“I’ll follow and grab another ride back later.” Nodding, Seokmin gave the driver the address of the pizzeria he’d visited with Hansol last time, and settled back in the seat, understanding the need to remain silent while there was an extra pair of ears around them. 

To:

Hyung, are you going to see Jeonghan hyung?

Their place is surrounded by reporters now, it would be best to not go yet

We’ll find a new place for them to move to later

Seokmin didn’t wait for a reply before sliding the phone back into his coat pocket, silently staring out of the window for the rest of the ride. 

They arrived at the pizzeria in fifteen minutes, and were in the conference room in another ten. The entire building was buzzing with frenzy, everyone’s faces filled with tensed trepidation, and the people in the conference room were no different as they turned to look at the two visitors.

It was the first time Jihoon had met Soonyoung ever since he socked the latter in the face, and he certainly had not expected it to be under such circumstances. Soonyoung’s face was a cold mask of calm, but he could see the anger and worry in those slanted eyes, both for his friend who has been delivered to the guillotine at the hands of his own grandfather. Had he been less of a responsible man, he would’ve headed straight for Jeonghan’s residence instead of staying here to hold the fort, but here he was. 

Soonyoung merely nodded at him as a greeting. “Let’s start the meeting.”

What felt like hours later, Jihoon remained by Soonyoung’s side with Seokmin and Hansol as the other people filed out of the room. “That was brutal,” he said quietly, observing Soonyoung as he tapped his pen on the table.

“Don’t I know it.” Soonyoung’s voice was weary. “But no matter what, I won’t be kicking Jeonghan out of the company. If we’ll fail on the mere basis that our President likes men, then I’d rather let it burn.”

It was an emotional statement, but Jihoon could read the hidden message: I’m not leaving Jeonghan behind. “I need to go back for our own meetings,” he said. “But I’ll keep in touch. Take care, Soonyoung.” He didn’t point out that judging from Soonyoung’s jawline, sharper than it had been previously, and his cheeks which had lost their previous charming chubbiness, Soonyoung seemed to have been doing anything but take care of himself. 

Hansol accompanied him out to the elevators. “The company’s driver will send you back to the office, hyung.”

Jihoon merely nodded, too tired to protest. 

Hansol hesitated before asking, “How is Jihyun?”

“Just imagine that I asked you the same question about Soonyoung. Your answer would be my answer.”

*****

Jisoo waited patiently by the door to Jeonghan’s unit as Seungcheol rolled the two huge luggages over. “Where’s Han?” He asked, and the older frowned, turning around intending to go look for his boyfriend, but Jeonghan ran out from his room, a pair of sunglasses in his hand, muttering apologies. Smiling, Jisoo took his hand and squeezed. “Let’s go, then.”

The car was waiting by the building on the next block, and they managed to escape without attracting any unwanted attention. Seungcheol and Jeonghan visibly relaxed the moment the doors were closed, and Jisoo’s heart ached for his friend, who looked so defeated and tiny in his boyfriend’s muscular arms. 

“Thank you for doing this,” Seungcheol said to Jisoo, who shook it off easily.

“I’m only glad I could help.”

“Your parents won’t be home for a week?”

“Yes, they’re attending a conference out of town. You’ll have the entire place to yourselves, and as long as you avoid going out of the house too often, no one should know you’re here.”

As the car cruised into the familiar residential community, Jisoo fell silent, watching as they drove through rows and rows of houses before stopping in front of one. 

He hadn’t visited in a while. 

After settling Jeonghan and Seungcheol in one of the guest rooms, he wandered off, noting what had changed and what hadn’t. His room was still the same, he realised, the only thing different from the room in his memories the lack of his own knickknacks that had now found their respective spots at his own place. 

He walked to the next door and went in. 

Jihyun’s room had drastically changed; nothing of it from when she used to stay there remained. The colour scheme, the furniture arrangement - everything had been changed, and he spared a moment to wonder whether his mother would ever find it in herself to set aside her anger and realise how important Jihyun had been to his childhood. 

His room reminded him of all the times they would play and talk there. The study reminded him of all the times they studied across each other, always vowing to do their best. The kitchen reminded him of all the times he would sit at the counter and work on his homework while Jihyun cooked at the stove. Wherever he looked, there would be memories of him and Jihyun, surpassing the faint memories he had of his parents seeing him in the early mornings or late nights, exchanging simple words with him before they either left for work or for bed. 

Jeonghan found him a while later, leaning against the balustrade on the balcony which had witnessed the biggest mistake of his life so many years ago. He didn’t say anything, merely offering his quiet company. 

*****

Jihyun got off the bus she hadn’t rode in years, and stared at the residential community with quiet calm in her heart. 

Nothing much had changed, she observed as she walked down the street, her steps never hesitating despite having not walked the route towards the Hong household for such a long time. Muscle memory, she supposed, a small smile that carried no happiness tugging at the corner of her lips as she rang the doorbell. 

Huh. She’d never rang the doorbell before, despite always being a guest in the house. 

She slipped past the small gap that had opened up in the door, and the moment it was shut behind her, gave the tall man behind it a huge hug. “Hey. How are you?”

“Bored,” Jeonghan said as he led her towards the living room, where nothing much had changed, apart from the small dust collectors on the tabletops. Being back in the familiar house also brought back the urge to clean it from top to toe - she knew the fastest and most efficient ways to clean it, knew where everything was supposed to be - but she swallowed it, settling down on the couch. Jeonghan watched her carefully. “You didn’t need to come, you know.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just the memories. I never thought I’d be back.” Switching tracks, she asked, “Where’s Seungcheol?”

“Study,” Jeonghan said with a sigh. “He’s been hard at work, and I hate that he refuses to go to the office.” But she could see the faint blush riding on Jeonghan’s cheeks, and knew that the man was still chuffed at the fact that his overprotective boyfriend had him as his priority. It made her heart sing with quiet happiness for her friend, mixed with selfish longing and envy of her own. 

But then Jeonghan’s face turned serious, and he said quietly, “I have something to tell you.”

“Nothing good ever starts with that.”

A short laugh. “I suppose.” His fingers tugged at a loose string on the hem of his sweater, and he said, “Soonyoung came up with a plan.”

The name had an instant effect on her, and she closed her eyes as she fought against the wave of pain. Someone took her hand, and Jeonghan murmured pleas of apology over and over again, until she calmed down and opened her eyes, seeing her own pain reflected there. “I’m fine,” she said softly, wondering how many times she’d told the simple two-word lie in the past few weeks. “What plan?”

“He’s suggesting that I go and handle the London branch, and start establishing myself as the President from there.”

Jihyun stared at Jeonghan, a furrow forming between her brows. “Why?”

“They need someone there to manage it; the latest CEO of the branch just stepped down. It’ll give me some time to learn what I need to, before I come back and take over HQ. It also helps that they’re far more liberal when it comes to gays compared to South Korea, so the news wouldn’t make much of a difference when it comes to how they’ll see me.” Jeonghan’s hand was still on hers as he repeated what Soonyoung had told him in secret the night before. 

“Seungcheol-“

“I haven’t told him. But I will.”

She turned her hand around and grabbed his. “You’ve decided, haven’t you?” There was no judgment in her tone, only a matter-of-fact observation.

Jeonghan took a moment to arrange his thoughts. “Right now, Yoon Jeonghan has nothing to offer Choi Seungcheol, except his love. Being with me now... he’ll suffer too much because he needs to protect both of us. I want to be stronger,” Jeonghan said with quiet determination in his voice. “To come back and take on the mantle of President because I’ve earned it, so that I can protect Seungcheol too. The companies are suffering now, all because there’s nothing I can offer to refute their claims. The gay President who works in the background has no power over them, has no ability to protect the ones he love. But the gay President who’ll work in the spotlight, who’ll leave them no room for criticism... that’s the person I want to be.”

The skies had turned dark, Jihyun long gone, and Seungcheol stared at the glass of wine in his hand as he listened to Jeonghan’s quiet voice talk about the plan Soonyoung had come up with. 

“Are we breaking up?” He finally asked, voice hoarse. He had no objection to the plan - were he in the same position, he would’ve made the same suggestion - but London...

Jeonghan stayed where he was, his gaze solemn. “I don’t want to, Cheollie.”

Relief flooded through him. “I don’t want to, either.” He took a sip of the wine to calm his racing heart down. “So we’ll be having a long distance relationship, then.”

Jeonghan leaned over, and tapped his wine glass to Seungcheol’s, the resounding cling reverberating in the study room. “I waited more than 10 years for you, Choi Seungcheol. I’m never giving up on you, ever, even if you give up on me.”

*****

Jihyun sighed as she burrowed her face into the warm embrace. “It’s not like I’m not coming back,” she said, voice muffled. 

“I’m crying over the number of files you’re leaving me with,” Mingyu sniffled. Beside him, Wonwoo patted him consolingly on his back, shooting his boyfriend an extremely amused look. 

“Hands off, hyung.” She was then tugged into tearstained embraces by Seungkwan, Seokmin and Hansol, though she would probably share half of the blame for their tears with Jeonghan, who was dealing with his own volley of farewell hugs a few feet away. Junhui was apparently a clingy hugger, and despite her ears being muffled against Hansol’s sweater, she could still hear Minghao’s exasperated ‘it’s our turn!’.

Jeonghan had made the offer to bring her with him - as his “we’ll decide when we get there” - and she had asked for a night to think about it, only to say yes the very next minute. 

Unlike Soonyoung, whose trigger for his departure to Japan years ago had been the loss of his friends and his liberty, she still had her friends. But she needed a change of scenery, needed to recenter herself after feeling severely offbeat and unsteady on her own feet. It hadn’t taken much consideration, and she’d went to Jihoon’s office the next morning to hand in her resignation.

She wasn’t surprised at his lack of reaction. “I was expecting it” was all he said, with a quiet hug that had her realising that Jihoon truly understood her, inside and out, in a way no one else really did. 

When she went to talk to Jisoo, she’d been worried that it would be a reminder of their separation years ago. But he’d only given her a warm smile, cutting past her worried babbling and asking, “You’re coming back, aren’t you?”

“Yes.” Not so soon, perhaps, but yes.

“And you’ll keep in touch, won’t you?”

“You think you could stop me from sending you photos of London every single day?”

He’d laughed then, the bright sound as comforting and welcoming as a gentle breeze in spring. “Take care, Hyun.”

And it was the same three words he was currently murmuring in her ear as he pulled her into his arms. “You too.” If her voice was thicker because of the lump in her throat, neither of them commented on it. “No working yourself till exhaustion. Proper meals, and decent hours of sleep.”

Jisoo’s eyes twinkled as he stepped back. “Nag, nag, nag.”

“Yah, Hong Jisoo-“

Jihoon rolled his eyes, shutting her up effectively before she could yell at her annoying friend. “Take care,” he said. “You, and Jeonghan too.”

She hugged him first, feeling him tense for a second before relaxing, arms coming around her to return the embrace. “I’m going to miss you,” she whispered, and felt his arms tighten. 

“Same, Hyun. I’m always a call away, alright?”

When Jihyun and Jeonghan waved goodbye one final time to their friends through the glass walls from the departure gates, who were smiling as they waved back, Seungcheol’s eyes full of tender and wistful love as he gazed at Jeonghan, no one pointed out the absence of one of their friends, though it was undoubtedly a question on everyone’s mind. 

And when Soonyoung finally joined their group quietly from where he’d been watching a distance away, where he’d gone unnoticed in the crowded airport, watching the gates despite Jihyun and Jeonghan having passed through minutes ago, no one pointed out how his own eyes were as red as theirs. 

From:

Hi, Soonyoung.

I just wanted to tell you that I’m joining Jeonghan.

See you at the airport.

To:


	43. Chapter Forty-Two

_ A year later  _

“Look at these two.” 

Jeonghan looked up from his own phone and turned his gaze to Jihyun’s phone, letting out a snort when he saw the photo of Junhui and Seokmin grinning widely at the camera, fingers and cheeks smeared with red gochujang sauce, courtesy of the chicken wings in their hands. “Dumbasses,” he said affectionately. 

“Say hi to Seungcheol for me.” She didn’t need to see who Jeonghan was texting with to know who Jeonghan was texting with, and Jeonghan let out a hum of affirmation. Settling back against the leather seat, she allowed the soft background noise of the busy lounge to wash over her, letting her mind wander aimlessly through the memories of the past year. 

London had been what she’d expected and what she hadn’t. The city was a beautiful one, a marriage of the old and the new, and there was always something new to discover. The typical touristy landmarks were all gorgeous, but it was easy to find beauty in every corner. London in autumn had, perhaps, been her favourite; she’d spent hours at the park near their house doing nothing but sitting on a bench and watching the medley of autumn hues unfold around her. 

The people they worked with had been extremely welcoming and wonderful as well, and for that, she was eternally grateful. Not for her own sake, but Jeonghan’s; after so many years of being told that he would never be able to take on the responsibility of managing Yoon Corporation, here he was, surrounded by people who were learning alongside him while he learnt from them. His opinions were solemnly listened to before comments were given. His questions weren’t answered with judgmental stares, but quiet reasonings that helped him understand. Most of all, he was respected, not because of his position that he was trying to grow into, but because of his abilities. Once he started picking up the pace, the growing curve had been exponential, the determination of the young man to be the capable leader he would one day be clear as crystal to everyone, and in turn inspiring their absolute loyalty towards him. 

Best of all, no one gave a shit that Jeonghan was gay. 

“If they shunned you because you were gay, you’d be better off here anyway,” one of their colleagues had commented. “They’re just too conservative to realize that it’s never about the sexuality when it comes to work. This gay President could be doing far more than a heterosexual President could.” 

Jeonghan had toasted to that with a cheerful grin, but the moment they’d gotten home, he’d sobbed into her arms for a good hour. 

The easy acceptance and faith had likely been a main reason Jeonghan had been reluctant to go home. But the pull of Seungcheol had been too great; Jeonghan may have fallen in love with the city, but he already had someone waiting at home for him. Jihyun had witnessed how the two carefully and steadily held their relationship together in one piece. Jeonghan could almost always be found on his phone at odd hours in the day, be it late at night or early in the morning, calling with Seungcheol with a fond smile on his face as he told his boyfriend about his day. Seungcheol would secretly order gifts and bouquets for Jeonghan (read: ask Jihyun to order the gifts and bouquets for Jeonghan), surprising his boyfriend with reminders that they may have been physically separated, but Jeonghan was always on his mind. 

And then Jihyun would have to deal with the sappy lovesick looks Jeonghan would have whenever he stared at the bouquets that would have a place in the middle of their dining table, until they were dried out and had to be thrown away. 

“Is it weird that I’m suddenly craving for the duck confit sandwich at Borough Market?” Jeonghan stopped mid-text to wonder out loud. 

Sighing, Jihyun shook her head gloomily. “We really should have had two each before we came to the airport.” 

The both of them had fallen – hard – for the famous duck confit sandwich at Borough Market. Dear God, it was heavenly. They’d jumped onto the bus for one last visit to Borough Market earlier right before heading over to the airport, and had wolfed down a sandwich each, chasing it with fresh oysters from the shop beside and mulled wine from another stall somewhere in the huge market. They’d told the owners of the duck confit sandwich stall – whom they’d gotten friendly with, being regular customers – that this was going to be their last visit, and Jihyun was certain that there had been tears in the owners’ eyes. Or perhaps that was just her own unshed tears, brimming up at the prospect of not getting any duck confit sandwich in the near future. 

From: 

Hey. 

You’re flying back in a bit, right? 

To: 

Yeah, our flight’s in half an hour. 

We’ll be boarding soon. 

Are you guys at the hotel already? 

From : 

Yeah, we’ve been helping out with the preparations since yesterday. 

Rehearsal dinner tonight, and the wedding tomorrow. 

I’ll see you at the wedding. 

***** 

Stepping off the plane felt like coming home. 

Seoul was a place where Jeonghan had strings to tug, and they hadn’t needed to wait for their luggages at the carousel, Jihyun following Jeonghan straight past the gates and out to the arrival hall, where her eyes fell on Seungcheol and Jisoo almost immediately, two figures in dashing black-and-white waiting patiently by the barricades. 

Perhaps it was because it was early in the morning and the arrival hall was fairly empty. Perhaps it was because Jeonghan had grown to not subject himself to the opinions of people who didn’t matter. But as Jeonghan launched himself into Seungcheol’s arms, burying his head into the crook of Seungcheol’s neck, Jihyun thought to herself that it was perhaps simply because Jeonghan loved Seungcheol. 

Letting the couple enjoy their dramatic moment, she went over to an amused Jisoo and wrapped her arms tightly around him in a bear hug. “Hello,” she mumbled into his shirt, the familiarity of Jisoo’s warmth causing a lump in her throat. 

He patted her gently on the back. “I missed you too. Come on; we have a wedding to attend.” 

An hour later, Jeonghan pressed another tissue to his eyes as he watched Jeongyeon walk down the aisle, graceful in her beauty, gorgeous in that wedding dress he knew Minghao would’ve had a hand in designing, holding on to the right arm of their father, who looked so proud and happy he would be bursting at the seams any moment now. Beside him, Seungcheol held his hand and rubbed small circles on the delicate skin, eyes focused on Jeongyeon, who was standing at the altar, hand-in-hand with her soon-to-be lawfully wedded husband. Jeonghan’s father quietly settled down in the seat beside Jeonghan’s mother, who was sitting on the other side of Jeonghan, sniffling into her handkerchief. 

Part of Seungcheol itched to turn around to ascertain whether Jihyun, who’d taken a seat in the last row, was holding up fine, but manners - and the fact that he was seated in the middle of the front row - had him stopping himself from doing so. Instead, he kept his eyes on the bride and groom, who were now facing each other, fingers intertwined. 

“Ladies and gentlemen.” The priest’s voice boomed through the wide hall, solemn and strong. “We are gathered here today to witness the union of Lee Dongmin and Yoon Jeongyeon in marriage...”

Even from her seat, Jihyun could sense the sheer joy and love radiating out of the couple, from the woman who’d struggled so much to break free, and the man who’d started everything between her and Soonyoung that one night in Jeju.

Fate worked in mysterious ways.

The reception hall was beautifully decorated, a jumbled variety of flowers, all in the bride’s colours of pink and blue artfully placed around the tables and chairs, presumably Seokmin and Seungkwan’s work. The hall itself was packed to the brim with friends and family of the married couple, but the hotel itself was surrounded by a large flock of reporters and nosy onlookers, all wanting a glimpse at the princess of the Yoon clan and her mysterious new husband. 

Jihyun had been seated with her friends except for Seungcheol and Jeonghan, who had been placed at the head table with the married couple, and had spent the past hour catching up with all of them after a tearful round of hugs. She’d missed them, she realised with a fond smile on her face. Their weird antics, surprising chemistry, embarrassingly loud laughs - she’d missed all of it. 

She was glad to see that all the couples were still together, with Minghao and Junhui retaining their spot as the oddest yet most compatible couple out of them all. Junhui was an oddball of energy that never slowed down, his twisted sense of humour a complete contradiction of his innocent-looking features, and more often than not, Minghao would be rolling his eyes with exasperation at his boyfriend’s antics. Yet the love that tied them together was so obvious, it was as though she could envision a thick solid ribbon intertwining their two souls that were so different and similar at the same time. 

Wonwoo and Mingyu were still there, quiet in their shows of affection, domesticity evident in every move they made. Mingyu would be handing Wonwoo a glass of water a second before Wonwoo even knew he wanted to drink water. Wonwoo would already have his napkin at the ready to clean off the food smudges from the corner of Mingyu’s mouth. They moved like they were one soul in two bodies, as though their love had made it so that they were telepathically linked to the other.

Hansol and Seungkwan were a couple that she hadn’t had the chance to observe much before she’d left for London. Seungkwan was the Junhui to Hansol’s Minghao, albeit much less prone to theatrics and also easier to discourage from reckless actions for the sake of fun. It was interesting, watching the two balance out each other; there were moments that would suggest that Hansol was the natural caretaker out of the two, getting Seungkwan the desserts he wanted and finishing off the food Seungkwan couldn’t, yet Seungkwan was equal in caring for Hansol, fussing over the man as he straightened out his crooked tie and smoothed his lapels, carefully steering Hansol away from all the interested looks the other guests would send the Adonis lookalike (though the last part was likely self-serving more than anything else, but still). 

The relationship between Seokmin and Jisoo was an enigma she couldn’t figure out, the two of them exchanging bashful looks between themselves, yet vehemently denying the fact that they were dating when she’d asked them, pulling out the ‘we’re just friends’ card without any hesitation. Jihoon had snorted when she’d asked him. “They’re doing everything the other couples at this table are doing, just without the label, as though that makes any difference. Let these two idiots come to their senses by themselves, Hyun.”

It makes a difference, she wanted to tell Jihoon, the man she’d missed as much as she’d missed Jisoo, who’d claimed that he’d hardly missed her, yet had given her the biggest hug when she’d thrown her arms around him. She would know better than anyone else how much difference a label could make. 

Her phone pinged with an incoming message.

From:

Can you meet me in the waiting room?

Making her excuses, Jihyun walked out of the hall and turned left to the small waiting room that was used as makeup central for the day. Jeonghan was waiting for her, pushing himself off the wall when he saw her approach. “You clean up well,” he remarked.

Jihyun rolled her eyes. The both of them had only had fifteen minutes to change into the outfits Minghao had selected for them upon arriving, and while Jeonghan’s hair - which had been cut short not long after they set foot in London, the long blond locks dyed a chestnut brown, styled into a short cut with a middle parting - looked fine despite their long-haul flight, the tousled look making him look unfairly attractive in the crisp suit, her own flight hair was something she hadn’t had the time nor the energy to deal with, let alone put on makeup. She was probably doing a great injustice to Minghao’s pick of the lilac gown that swirled around her ankles, but frankly, she was too jet-lagged to care. “What’s up?”

“Jeongyeon was wondering if you’d be willing to talk to her.”

Blinking a few times, Jihyun stared at the man, who had a carefully neutral look on his face. “Me? Why?”

“I would venture a guess and say that it has something to do with Soonyoung.”

Hearing Soonyoung’s name didn’t hurt as much as it used to, but it still tugged at her heart slightly. Only slightly. “Sure,” she said, trying to keep it casual. 

The bride was sitting at the dressing table, having already changed into a lighter gown that would make it easier for her to mingle with her guests and dance on the dance floor. She shot Jihyun a cautious smile, and turned to look at her brother with annoyance in her eyes. “Go play with Seungcheol oppa,” she ordered. “Girls only.”

“Like I wanted to stay,” Jeonghan bantered, dropping a quick kiss on his sister’s head before walking over to give her a supportive pat on the shoulder, and leaving the room.

If there were more awkward situations that she’d managed to find herself in, Jihyun couldn’t recall any. But she composed herself, and said, “Congratulations on your marriage. You two are a stunning couple.”

“Thank you, Jihyun-ssi.”

Jihyun winced. “Please, Jihyun will do. We’re the same age.”

“Jihyun.” Jeongyeon said her name once, as though testing how it felt as it rolled off her tongue. “Call me Jeongyeon. If I may speak frankly...”

“You are the star of the day,” Jihyun reminded her, keeping her tone light. “Go ahead.”

“Can I presume that Soonyoung oppa has told you about our history?”

“You can.”

Jeongyeon was silent for a moment. “I am sorry that you had to end it with Soonyoung oppa because of what we had, for what it’s worth.”

“It wasn’t your fault.” If anyone were to be sorry, it should be the Yoon siblings’ halabeonim, who had been conspicuously absent from today’s proceedings. “Perhaps we just weren’t meant to be.”

“Soonyoung oppa’s here today, you know. Have you seen him?”

Oh, she knew. She hadn’t seen Soonyoung, but the mere fact that it was the wedding of the woman who was the younger sibling of his best friend, who was also the woman he was once slated to marry, allowed no other deduction other than his presence. 

Jeongyeon took her silence as assent. “I heard that you made him really happy, when you were together. That was the reason I left, did you know that? I wanted him to he happy, and he wasn’t, not with me. I’m happy with Dongmin now.” Eyes that were eerily similar to Jeonghan’s stared at her from the mirror, hopeful and wistful. “Please, make him happy again.”

*****

“Do not think I’m forgetting the stunt you pulled in Jeju.”

Lee Dongmin grinned sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. “I stopped doing that once I met Jeongyeon. I’ll take good care of her, hyung.”

“You’d better, brat.” Soonyoung huffed, but clinked his wineglass against the groom’s good-naturedly. They drank in companionable silence, watching the guests mill around from the corner of the hall. 

“Hyung?”

The call had Soonyoung looking up at the man who had taken the spot that was meant to be his, the spot he’d gratefully relinquished. Dongmin looked at him, a hesitant light in his eyes. “The woman I met when we were in Jeju, the one you left with - are you still together?”

Soonyoung turned away, his gaze quiet as the memories resurfaced. “We were never together.”

After lengthy assurances that the younger hadn’t said anything wrong - “Stop looking so distressed, Jeongyeon’s going to have my head” - Soonyoung handed Dongmin over to the wedding planners, who’d whisked him away for the first dance. Wineglass still in hand, he wandered out of the hall, greeting those whose eyes met his, slowly making his way past the crowd and down the hallway until he stood in front of a curtained glass door. Carefully, he eased the door open and stepped out onto a small balcony facing the sea, the cold winter air had him immediately wishing he’d remembered to snag his coat before coming out here. But, he sighed, it had shocked him back into a calmer state of mind, Dongmin’s innocent query having thrown him slightly off-balance earlier. 

He knew Jihyun was here today, knew that she’d flown back with Jeonghan this morning, hours before the wedding. But he hadn’t been able to find it within himself to seek her out - what was he supposed to say? 

“There you are.”

Slowly, he turned around, breath stuck in his throat as he set eyes upon Jihyun for the first time ever since they parted ways a year ago. 

Her hair was longer than it had been when he last saw her - unlike Jeonghan, she hadn’t went for a haircut. But otherwise, she hadn’t changed, and the memories of their time together that he’d tried so hard to keep locked away rushed back into his mind without any warning, the Jihyun a year ago and the Jihyun standing in front of him now melding into one. 

A rueful smile played on her lips. “Hello, Soonyoung.”

Her voice calling his name had him letting out the breath he’d been holding back. “Hello, Jihyun.”

Another gust of wind rolled over them, and he frowned when she shivered, the flimsy sleeves on her dress doing nothing to protect her against the cold. “You shouldn’t have come out here without a coat,” he reprimanded, holding the door open so that she could go back into the hotel, and he followed suit. 

“Yes, I realised,” Jihyun replied dryly. She turned around to look at him, and asked softly, “Can we talk?”

*****

Soonyoung stared at her across the small table as she stirred the cup of steaming coffee in front of her. The hotel’s bakery-style cafe was fairly empty at this time of the day, and they’d managed to get a table in the corner, partially shielded by a screen that afforded them a semblance of privacy. 

When she pushed the coffee towards him and pulled his towards herself, she caught him staring and quirked an eyebrow. “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”

“You don’t have to do that,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse even to his own ears. 

She continued stirring the coffee that was now hers. “I did this when we were still friends,” she reminded him. “But I can stop if it bothers you.” Her fingers stilled as she looked at him, waiting for a response.

Soonyoung shook his head, and she started stirring again. “How’s the company?” She knew that Jeonghan had regular updates from the Seoul branch, but she had never asked him to share them with her. After all, she’d flown all the way to London to give herself a breather from Soonyoung; updating herself with news that would undoubtedly involve him would have been counterproductive. 

“I’m not with Yoon Corporation anymore.”

*****

Yoon Corporation and Choi Industries had suffered a huge blow after the Yoon family patriarch had leaked the news of Jeonghan to the press, Soonyoung and Seungcheol working day and night to try and come up with ways to salvage the destruction while declaring complete radio silence to the public. A week of staring at their depressing performances on the stock market and fielding calls from concerned clients and frustrated directors had Soonyoung nearly tearing his hair out, the stress and tiredness assaulting his mood every single second of the day.

Seungcheol had forced his way into his unit a week after Jeonghan’s secret departure, soju in hand, eyes glinting with excitement. “I have a plan,” he’d declared. 

_ “You do realise,” Soonyoung said, voice slightly thick with alcohol, “that this is a absolutely crazy plan that would easily backfire and ruin me forever, right?” _

_ “What’s life without some risks?” Seungcheol countered, a cheesy grin on his face. _

_ “I don’t have a life anymore, Cheol ah.” _

_ The wistful statement sobered up Seungcheol slightly, and he grabbed his best friend’s hand. “I know, Young. And this is how we’re going to fix it! We’ll get you your freedom, and you can go after Jihyun again!” _

The day after Seungcheol’s late night soju visit, Soonyoung announced his resignation from Yoon Corporation. He’d turned down the press conference requests, the interview requests, and had simply left behind a simple press statement before leaving the building, Hansol determinedly following right behind.

“Hansol, damn it, stay.”

Hansol followed him towards the elevators, ignoring Soonyoung’s exasperated hiss. After making sure that no one else was around, Soonyoung stopped mid-stride and whirled around, poking a finger into Hansol’s chest. “Hansol.” It was a desperate plea, for the dongsaeng he cared for and wanted to shield from all the incoming challenges. “I’m going to be starting from the bottom. It’s not going to be easy, and I might fail. Don’t follow me, damn it. Stay, for your own sake, and the sake of the company.”

“Hyung, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.” Hansol’s eyes had been unwavering as they looked at him. “Wherever you go, I go.”

_ Hello, this is Kwon Soonyoung. _

_ This morning, I have officially tendered my resignation from the position of CEO of Yoon Corporation. In light of recent events, I have come to the realisation that I am notthe person best suited to the role. I am voluntarily relinquishing my role, and I am fully confident in President Yoon’s abilities to guide the company through this difficult time. I am hardly qualified to leave behind any parting advice, but will emphasise that Yoon Corporation is a company that fully stands behind the fight for equal rights. We do not condone oppression nor prejudice, and I firmly believe that the same will hold even after my departure.  _

Over the next week, Yoon Corporation and Choi Industries suffered even bigger losses, Soonyoung’s statement clawing almost irreparable tears in their offices and profits. But both companies continued their silence, issuing no further statements, all nosy reporters banned from the office buildings, where lesser and lesser employees entered day by day. 

All of a sudden, the headhunter circle in Seoul buzzed with shock and excitement as they collectively received a notice in their inboxes.

** “Kwon Incorporated is currently hiring...” **

The headlines for the next week were filled with the new company, helmed by Soonyoung, picking up all the capable employees from Yoon Corporation who were desperate for stability in their jobs, reining in almost all of Yoon Corporation’s clients who had lost faith in Yoon Corporation. Soonyoung may have left Yoon Corporation,but he hadn’t given them a breather before he launched his attack.

As they’d predicted, Seungcheol was summoned to the Yoon family manor within the next week. 

“What is this?” The old man asked, eyes lit with fury as he stared at the far-too-relaxed Seungcheol. “My company is failing, so is yours, and you’re doing nothing?”

Seungcheol hummed. “With all due respect, halabeonim, Soonyoung is fairly scary when he’s determined. We both know that.”

“You are willing to let Choi Industries go down in flames with my company, all because of some childish show of temper?”

“Soonyoung and Jeonghan are worth far more to me than the company is.”

“The employees-“

“Were nearly in tears when we offered them jobs at Soonyoung’s company. Yes, we,” Seungcheol clarified, seeing the flicker of realisation in the old man’s eyes. “All three of us are part of Kwon Incorporated. If you haven’t realised it, halabeonim, neither of us give a care about keeping the companies alive. We’ll succeed regardless of where we are. The only question is, will you prioritise Soonyoung and Jeongyeon’s freedom over your legacy?”

Another week later, the media tabloids reported that a source in the Yoon family confirmed that Soonyoung and Jeongyeon’s engagement had been broken off, for ‘reasons that the family wish to keep private’. In the same week, Yoon Corporation entered a mutual agreement with Kwon Incorporated, which gave Yoon Corporation the boost it needed to reboot its operations and regain their footing on the market, with the corporate world’s newest darling and the ever-trustworthy Choi Industries by its side.

*****

“So you’re free.”

Soonyoung’s mind flashed back to the night he’d received the call from Jeonghan’s father, informing him in a careful tone with barely suppressed excitement that halabeonim had agreed to break off the engagement. How he’d stared at the wall across his bed for a whole hour, trying to process the overwhelming emotions in his heart, mingled with the feeling of loss and emptiness. 

What good was liberty if he had no one to share it with?

“Yes, I am.”

Jihyun took a sip of her coffee. “You never came to the airport,” she said, no hint of reproach in her tone, yet Soonyoung winced inwardly.

“I did, actually. I watched from a distance away, and joined them when you and Jeonghan passed through the gates.” He watched as sadness flickered through her eyes. “I wanted to see you,” he quickly added, knowing the conclusion she’d jumped to. “But I didn’t think that I could say goodbye to you for a second time.”

She nodded slowly, seeming to understand. “I wasn’t mad at you, you know.”

Soonyoung tilted his head to one side, waiting for her to continue.

“It hurt at first. Being deceived... it didn’t feel good. Still doesn’t,” she corrected, eyes still on her coffee, which had long cooled down from her constant stirring. “But I wasn’t mad. How could I, when I could see how much you were suffering from it as well? But you never called, never texted, and I wondered if I should tell you that I wasn’t mad at you, until I realised it wouldn’t have made any difference.”

“I never called you.” Soonyoung said softly, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the table. “I wanted to. It reminded me of how it had been before the night you picked me up at Highlight, the unsent texts, calls ended even before the first tone.” The memory tugged a chuckle out of him, and the corner of her lips curved up as well. “But I reminded myself that I had no right to. Not until I could give you a better me.”

Jihyun was silent.

“I’m a free man now,” Soonyoung breathed, his eyes on her, whose head was still lowered. “Free to make decisions, free to choose, free to love. To start our story again, if you’ll still have me.”

“I always wanted you,” Jihyun replied softly, finally looking up to meet his gaze. “I hated myself for it, but I never stopped. You’re a hard person to let go of, Mr. Kwon.”

The use of the nickname had hope blooming in his heart. “Jihyun-“

“We can try.” Her hand crept over to cover his, carefully, as though she was unsure how he would react. Hastily, he gripped her hand, intertwining their fingers, warmth exploding in his chest, his mind chanting ‘home, you’re home’ over and over again. The smile on her face was brilliant, a view he’d missed so dearly while they’d been separated. “Let’s try again, Mr. Kwon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is DONE. OMG I ACTUALLY FINISHED A FIC. I know the ending wasn’t as dramatic as it could’ve been, but they’ve already been through so much angst, I’m pretty sure neither of them have the energy for more drama. And I always wanted a quiet reunion for them soooooo give me some space.
> 
> If you’re still here, I am so grateful for you, no joke whatsoever. This monstrosity which is a result of my excessive procrastination holds a special place in my heart - I cannot believe I wrote over 150k words for this - and the plot lines changed so many times, I never dared to dream that I would actually be able to finish this. Kudos and comments would be super, super appreciated if you liked it or want to give me some constructive feedback! Please be kind tho. 
> 
> The last chapter will be an epilogue, which will not be up until April - I need to stop procrastinating. It’ll also lead up to a second short story connected to this series, which will be centred on seoksoo’s relationship that I have a whole plot for but no time to write it. And then I have two or three other stories already lined up in mind soooooo just subscribe if you want some updates ;) again I’m so thankful for every single one of you still here!


	44. Epilogue

Soonyoung dropped a kiss on top of Jihyun’s head as he walked into his kitchen, where she was sitting at the kitchen counter, strawberry milk in one hand and phone in the other. “Morning, jagiya.”

Jihyun let out a small hum of acknowledgment, eyes still on her phone. Smiling, Soonyoung grabbed his own cup of coffee, and settled down from across her, where chicken porridge and banchan were already waiting for him. The domesticity of their entire situation had another smile tugging at the corner of his lips, which stayed even after he’d polished off his breakfast. 

It had taken a couple of months filled with far too many emotional outbursts and tears, but they’d gotten their peaceful happily ever after eventually. It hadn’t been an easy journey, but they’d made it. And Soonyoung had no words to describe the spark of joy in his heart when he could hold Jihyun’s hand in public, in front of their friends and family, without fearing any potential repercussions. The simplest act of affection between couples had never been available to them, not until now, and he would savour every single moment of it, even if their friends would groan about how grossly in love the both of them were.

Like Seungcheol was one to complain, Soonyoung snorted. He wasn’t the one who’d publicly declared his love for his boyfriend in front of a whole hall of wedding guests that included his friends, family, and more, by kissing him in the middle of the dance floor before giving anyone a heads up. 

If it weren’t for the fact that the Chois loved Jeonghan to bits, Soonyoung doubted that Seungcheol’s mother would’ve recovered from the shock as fast as she did. 

He looked down at his plates, only to realise that they’d been cleared and washed without him realising it, and Jihyun was already back in her seat, sipping on the rest of her strawberry milk while looking at him with amusement dancing in her eyes. God, he loved her eyes. “Finally. How was the daydream?”

“Interesting,” he told her honestly, enraptured as he watched her laugh in response. 

“I’m going to go first; I want to make a detour to Spring.” She gestured at the huge bottle of strawberry milk that she’d made from scratch yesterday, specially for the man who shared her love for the refreshing drink. “Seungkwan will get it to Jeonghan.”

Soonyoung had no doubt that even though Jeonghan had trusted the young man wholeheartedly with Spring, which had been born of his dreams to spread happiness through artfully arranged bouquets, he would never be able to fully let it go, hence Seokmin and Jeonghan’s regular visits to the shop to check on Seungkwan. “I could pass it to Han for you, if you wanted.” Kwon Incorporated was only a short distance away from Yoon Corporation; the two men met up often for lunches, often giving their employees who were enjoying their lunch breaks in the various eateries around the area a heart attack whenever the two of them entered the establishment together. 

Soonyoung didn’t blame them, not one bit. They were an exceptionally attractive duo, if he himself could say so. 

Jihyun shook her head. “It’s fine. I want to catch up with Kwan, anyway.” She grabbed her bag off the couch and the bottle of milk which was carefully placed in a tote that Soonyoung recognised as one from Wonwoo’s bookstore; he was fairly sure that Jihyun had at least ten of those spread around her own place and his, being a regular visitor to the store. Just last month, Soonyoung had, with Wonwoo and Mingyu’s help, bought and installed an extra bookshelf in his study, and filled it with books Wonwoo had sworn up and down Jihyun would love. Soonyoung hadn’t bothered doubting the man’s claims; he loved Jihyun, but when it came to books, Wonwoo knew her best. 

He thought Jihyun loved chocolate. Heck, she’d shed tears over that box of Piaf truffles from Seungkwan that one Christmas ago. He wasn’t prepared for the full-blown sobbing that had lasted for a whole hour when she saw the bookshelf. Jung Jihyun, who was undoubtedly one of the most levelheaded people in his life, had cried when she’d received a gift of books. 

“I cried when I visited the Harry Potter Studio when I was still in London,” she’d told him between sniffles, once he’d managed to calm her down. “I think I nearly gave Jeonghan a heart attack; he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.”

Soonyoung had tried very, very hard not to laugh at his girlfriend. “So crying is your way of expressing your happiness?”

He’d earned himself a sharp pinch to his waist, but since it had been followed by very appreciative and grateful kisses and snuggles, he hadn’t complained.

Soonyoung pulled her in for a kiss before letting her go. “Text me when you get to the office,” he reminded her gently. He would’ve preferred dropping her off every single day, just to ensure that she was safe (and to spend more time with her) but Jihyun had insisted on getting to work herself most of the time, reducing the gossip she’d have to endure if her colleagues found out that she was dating Soonyoung. Not that they didn’t have anything else to gossip about; the woman left her job where she’d been valued and treasured all of a sudden, only to return after a year as though nothing had happened in between, and no one other than Jihoon and Mingyu - who was now the manager of a team in their department and unfortunately no longer Jihyun’s deskmate - knew the real reason behind it all. There was prone to be gossip, but she didn’t want to garner more unwanted attention to herself, and Soonyoung could respect that. 

“You worry too much, Mr. Kwon.” She tugged him by his tie in for another kiss, and left him breathless as she spun out of the door with a satisfied grin on her face. 

Soonyoung was still trying to catch his breath when the door opened again, Jihyun coming back into his unit. “It’s raining cats and dogs out there,” she explained. “Do you have an umbrella I can borrow?”

Shaking his head, Soonyoung grabbed his coat and briefcase. “I’ll drop you off, jagiya. No buts,” he said, sensing her protests even before they were voiced out. “I am not having you trudge through the rain and falling sick.”

Jihyun sighed, but relented, understanding her boyfriend’s concerns. “I still need an umbrella though, just in case I need to go out later. Do you have a portable one that I can slip into my tote?”

Soonyoung rummaged through the umbrella stand in the corner of his doorway, and pulled out a black foldable umbrella that he’d only used once, passing it to Jihyun, whose face twisted into concentration and confusion when she saw the umbrella. Curious, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s fine.” She opened it up to check, and once she was satisfied that there were no loose parts or holes, she slipped it into her bag. “It’s just that the logo-“ she pointed to the neatly printed logo of an umbrella on the cover, “seems really familiar, but I can’t remember where I’ve seen this before.”

Soonyoung hummed as he recalled how he’d gotten the umbrella that one rainy day in Daegu so many years ago. “I didn’t buy this, actually. I was in Daegu for a business trip, and Hansol and I had just checked into our hotel. We were going to walk over to the office where the meeting was supposed to be held, but it started raining so heavily, it would’ve been impossible to do so. There was a conference in the hotel that had ended at the same time, and everyone was fighting over the cabs and umbrellas. I’d sent Hansol into the fray to try and grab us something to get us to the meeting, but frankly, it seemed like a lost cause. I was about to call our partners and cancel the meeting, but a woman who was waiting in the hotel as well offered me her umbrella - this umbrella. She said she was leaving, and she’d gotten the umbrella the day before-“

“At the convenience store across the street.”

Soonyoung stared at Jihyun, who’d finished his story for him, her eyes wide with shock and realisation. “It was you?”

“That’s why this was so familiar,” Jihyun murmured wondrously, looking at the umbrella in her hand. “You were the man I gave the umbrella to. I remember thinking that he was extremely attractive, but I forgot all about it after that.”

“I was far too annoyed with the weather back then to remember your face, but I never forgot the act of kindness you showed a mere stranger,” Soonyoung said softly. “Fate sure works in weird, weird ways.”

Jihyun wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m glad we found each other in the end,” she said, voice muffled into his shirt.

Soonyoung sighed into her hair. “You and me both, jagiya.”

*****

“Smile!”

Thanking the staff for the photo, Soonyoung turned to Jihyun and stifled a grin when he saw her bouncing on her toes excitedly, looking absolutely adorable in the oversized Slytherin cloak. “Come on, jagiya. Let’s go get our photos.”

After some wrangling and sneaky manipulation of both their schedules - Soonyoung owed Jihoon a couple of huge, huge favours - Soonyoung had managed to surprise Jihyun with a trip to London for a week. She’d been ballistic when he’d kidnapped her from work and had headed all the way to the airport and through the gates without any warning, but the fire had been easily put out by the prospect of visiting the city she’d spent a year in and missed dearly.

Jeonghan and Minghao had packed her bags for her, and Soonyoung thoroughly enjoyed Jihyun’s exasperated exclamations whenever she discovered a new piece of clothing that she most certainly did not own inside her suitcases. (“A Burberry trench coat? Really?”)

They’d spent the first four days sightseeing, Soonyoung allowing Jihyun to show him all the mandatory tourist landmarks - he wouldn’t admit that his favourite part of visiting the London Eye had been feeding the squirrels in the park beside it - and her own favourite spots. They’d spent a morning in the Royal Courts of Justice, wandering the majestic halls, taking in the sheer historical presence the courthouse radiated, even sitting in a couple of ongoing hearings, and Soonyoung had been utterly fascinated by the entire experience. 

“You could’ve been one of those barristers, fighting for their client’s case in front of a judge,” Soonyoung commented as they browsed through the intimidatingly wide selection of teas in the Twinings shop across the road from the courthouse. 

Jihyun chuckled as she read the label on a box. “I started from sitting in the gallery as an intern, taking notes on what the other side would say, and what our own side would present as well. Interns were normally given the task of transcribing the recordings for our own records after the hearings, and it helped when you had some rough notes to refer to instead of doing it directly by ear. Then I got to sit at the bar table, the junior counsel that passes your senior counsel all the files and documents he’d need to present his case, and that was a challenge in itself, remembering where every single scrap of information could be found in the stacks of papers, because if you were too slow, the judge would get impatient and you’d get a scalding lecture the moment you got out from the courtroom.” She selected two boxes of earl grey, and handed them over to the girl waiting quietly by the side. “But the adversarial system - you sensed it, didn’t you? I could never get used to it. Even while mooting back in law school, it always made me feel uneasy. Jihoon used to say that I lacked the confidence in presenting my case, which just translates to a lack of advocacy skills. It’s true, though. So as much as I love watching the way experienced and talented lawyers submit in the courtroom, it was never something I could do. Jihoon, though.” Jihyun laughed, shaking her head as she selected another two boxes of jasmine green tea. “I should show you the recordings from his mooting competitions in university. The man was - still is - brilliant.”

The British Museum and Natural History Museum had been eye-opening; they’d spent a whole day just walking through these two buildings, filled with so much history and knowledge. They’d visited the London office of Yoon Corporation as well, Soonyoung taking the time to thank those Jihyun introduced to him for taking care of her and Jeonghan while they were there. She’d introduced him to the best fish-and-chips of his life, and the duck confit sandwich that had prompted Jeonghan to call them up and yell at them tearfully when they’d sent him photos of them devouring the sandwich. She’d brought him to a finely decorated restaurant that had a majestic view of the city at 2 in the morning, where the food came with outrageous price tags, but was an experience in itself, and had brought him to a place with outrageously good hot chocolate with a whole mountain of mini marshmallows that melted in his mouth. They visited the theatre twice, watching Hamilton and Wicked unfurl in front of them, absorbing every single second of the brilliant shows that left them breathless and in awe. 

And on the fourth night, they’d gotten themselves an unexpected visitor in the middle of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I procrastinate too much it’s too bad for me. But Straight Up and Down is finally, finally at an end. (It’s the title of a song by Bruno Mars - since Woozi loves Bruno Mars so much, I picked a song from his discography.)
> 
> The next fic in the series will be on seoksoo, and it will NOT be as long as this. We’ll be seeing more of the other pairings there as well. But it won’t be started until April - I honestly can’t afford this constant procrastinating lol. I’ve posted a starter chapter for their story though, so if you’re interested in following up on that, just click subscribe and leave me some kudos and comments :) 
> 
> Again, thanks so so much if you’ve been here for the entire ride. This was a huge project for me, and I really enjoyed writing the story.


End file.
